Pasadena CA (SPX) Sep 06, 2006 - Spirit experienced a software reset during the evening overpass of the Odyssey orbiter on sol 944 (Aug. 29, 2006). The rover was in the process of receiving command sequences for the following two Martian days, sols 945 and 946 (Aug. 30-31, 2006).
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 05, 2006 - At the recent Viking thirtieth anniversary celebration, Noel Hinners championed what could be the next great challenge for planetary science: a Mars Sample Return mission. Hinners pointed out that, like Viking, Mars Sample Return will prove to be extremely difficult but immeasurably rewarding.
Pasadeda (SPX) Sep 04, 2006 - Opportunity is healthy and still 218 meters (715 feet) from Victoria Crater. Over the weekend, the rover's shoulder azimuth joint stalled as Opportunity was trying to start measurements on a trench it dug on Sol 919 (Aug. 25, 2006). Consequently, all weekend arm activities were aborted, but remote science activities were executed as planned.
Paris, France (ESA) Sep 01, 2006 - These images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, show the region of Kasei Valles, one of the biggest outflow channel systems on Mars. Kasei is the Japanese word for the planet Mars. The HRSC obtained these images during orbit 1429 at a ground resolution of approximately 29 metres per pixel.
When two Viking landers set down on the surface of Mars in the summer of 1976, Gentry Lee was there to witness the first images beamed back to Earth.
Paris, France (ESA) Aug 29, 2006 - Planetary scientists have discovered the highest clouds above any planetary surface. They found them above Mars using the SPICAM instrument on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft. The results are a new piece in the puzzle of how the Martian atmosphere works.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 29, 2006 - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has begun the final and fastest-paced portion of its aerobraking process of using friction with the top of Mars' atmosphere to shrink the spacecraft's orbit. After nearly 400 drag passes into the atmosphere during the closest-to-Mars portion of each orbit, the spacecraft has reduced the farthest point in its orbit to an altitude of 1,100 kilometers (684 miles).
Pasadena CA (SPX) Aug 27, 2006 - During the past two-and-a-half years of traversing the central part of Gusev Crater, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has analyzed the brushed and ground-into surfaces of multiple rocks using the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, which measures the abundance of major chemical elements.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Aug 27, 2006 - Opportunity is healthy and located only 218 meters (715 feet) from the rim of Victoria Crater. Opportunity's odometer clicked past the 9-kilometer (5.5-mile) mark as it drove 237.81 meters (780 feet) during the week. The terrain within the annulus, or ring, of material surrounding Victoria is homogeneous and flat, which is favorable for long drives. The team planned a trenching activity for sol 919 (Aug. 25, 2006) to prepare for a robotic arm campaign during the weekend.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Aug 27, 2006 - Spirit continued to make progress on the rover's winter campaign of science observations, acquiring microscopic images and data about rock composition with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Spirit took images of the spacecraft deck for incorporation into the McMurdo panorama.
Huntsville AL (SPX) Aug 24, 2006 - On July 14, 1965, Mariner 4 swooped over Mars. It was a moment of high drama. Six other probes had already tried to reach the red planet and failed. Since the days of H.G. Wells (War of the Worlds, 1898), people had been hearing about life on Mars, and they were ready to see the canals and cities. The wait was becoming excruciating.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Aug 23, 2006 - Opportunity is healthy and on the road to Victoria Crater. Spirit drove 35.67 meters (117 feet) from Beagle Crater to a small sand dune, or ripple, to examine the dune with the robotic arm. The ripple study included observations with the microscopic imager, two alpha particle X-ray spectrometer integrations, and two observations with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.
Beijing (AFP) Aug 23, 2006 - China and Russia are planning a joint mission to Mars that will bring back samples to earth and land on one of the red planet's tiny moons, state media quoted a Chinese scientist as saying Wednesday. Ye Peijian, of the Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology, made the announcement at a forum on the nation's space technology development, Xinhua news agency said.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Aug 21, 2006 - Spirit is healthy and continues to make progress on its winter science campaign. Spirit is finishing the McMurdo mega-panorama by acquiring touch-up images (dubbed grout by engineers). Spirit is nearly complete with the coverage of the ground around the rover.
Tempe AZ (SPX) Aug 16, 2006 - Every spring it happens. As the Sun peeks above the horizon at the Martian south polar icecap, powerful jets of carbon-dioxide (CO2) gas erupt through the icecap's topmost layer. The jets climb high into the thin, cold air, carrying fine, dark sand and spraying it for hundreds of feet around each jet.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 16, 2006 - Like the fabled tortoise that, in the race with the hare, moves slowly yet accomplishes much, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has continued to make progress little by little, while essentially running in place.
