Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 01, 2010 - Opportunity has benefited from a small (about 10 percent) dust cleaning event on her solar arrays on or about Sol 2246 (May 19, 2010). This improves the available energy for the rover. With the passing of the winter solstice, temperatures should be improving, as well.
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Jun 01, 2010 - On Mars, water is frozen solid. The average temperature of the Red Planet is negative 55 degrees Celsius (-67 F), and when the temperature rises - the highest recorded temperature is a balmy 20 degrees C (68 F) - this ice turns directly into a gas, skipping the liquid phase entirely because of the low atmospheric pressure.
Pasadena CA (SPX) May 28, 2010 - Data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have helped scientists solve a pair of mysteries dating back four decades and provided new information about climate change on the Red Planet.
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 27, 2010 - NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ended operations after repeated attempts to contact the spacecraft were unsuccessful. A new image transmitted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows signs of severe ice damage to the lander's solar panels.
Idaho Falls ID (SPX) May 27, 2010 - The next generation of Mars rovers could have smaller, cheaper, more robust and more sensitive life-detecting instruments, thanks to a new invention by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory.
Pasadena CA (SPX) May 27, 2010 - With the winter solstice just passed, Opportunity is constrained by power and must recharge between drives. The rover had an extended stay on the north facing site, referred to as a Lily Pad that it reached on Sol 2240 (May 13, 2010). The favorable northerly tilt provided an increase in power for extra remote science and a MarsQuake experiment.
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 25, 2010 - Spirit remains silent at her location called Troy on the west side of Home Plate. No communication has been received from the rover since Sol 2210 (March 22, 2010).
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 25, 2010 - NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ended operations after repeated attempts to contact the spacecraft were unsuccessful. A new image transmitted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows signs of severe ice damage to the lander's solar panels.
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 24, 2010 - Planners of NASA's next Mars mission have selected a flight schedule that will use favorable positions for two currently orbiting NASA Mars orbiters to obtain maximum information during descent and landing.
Washington (AFP) May 24, 2010 - NASA has declared the US Mars lander Phoenix defunct, writing it off as a victim of the red planet's icy winter after numerous unsuccessful attempts to communicate with it.
Beijing, China (XNA) May 21, 2010 - Chinese space trainer Wang Yuan has been chosen as one of the volunteers for the Mars-500 test project co-funded by Russia and Europe. Another five volunteers include space lovers from Russia, Italy and France.
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) May 20, 2010 - The names of the participants in a 520-day simulation of an expedition to Mars were announced on Tuesday. Six main participants plus one reserve will take part in the experiment in the Mars-500 module, which will simulate all aspects of a journey to the Red Planet, with a 250-day outward trip, a 30-day stay on its surface, and a 240-day return flight.
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 20, 2010 - NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project will pass a historic Martian longevity record on Thursday, May 20. The Opportunity rover will surpass the duration record set by NASA's Viking 1 Lander of six years and 116 days operating on the surface of Mars. The effects of favorable weather on the red planet could also help the rovers generate more power.
Moffett Field CA (SPX) May 19, 2010 - Microbes on spacecraft from Earth might be able to briefly survive the harsh environment of Mars thanks to a thin layer of dust, a new study reports. Such a finding could complicate efforts to discover whether or not there is any native martian life.
Moscow (AFP) May 18, 2010 - The six men who enlisted to be locked up for over 500 days to simulate a mission to Mars called themselves trailblazers Tuesday, saying they were ready to face the strain of the isolation.
Pasadena CA (SJPL) May 18, 2010 - With the winter solstice at hand, Opportunity has been constrained by power and drove only once in the last week.
