Washington, D.C. (SPX) Feb 25, 2006 - NASA mission controllers are preparing for a critical phase of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's 350-million-mile trajectory designed to rendezvous the spacecraft with the red planet on March 10.
Raleigh NC (SPX) Feb 23, 2006 - Plants and animals are fragile life forms. Dry them out, freeze them, expose them to high doses of radiation - they don't do so well. But not all organisms are so picky. Many archaeans, for example, are distinguished by their ability to adapt to a variety of extreme environments. It's in their genes.
Boston MA (SPX) Feb 23, 2006 - Astronomers said Thursday they have uncovered the first clear evidence that solar flares can affect the upper atmosphere of Mars. A team at Boston University said their studies of X-ray bursts from the Sun in April 2001 that reached Mars show the phenomena caused dramatic enhancements to the planet's ionosphere - the region where the Sun's ultraviolet and X-rays are absorbed by atoms and molecules in the atmosphere.
Darmstadt, Germany (SPX) Feb 21, 2006 - New images taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera aboard ESA's Mars Express spacecraft show the fast-moving shadow of the moon Phobos as it moved across the Martian surface.
Paris, France (SPX) Feb 20, 2006 - These images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, show the fast-moving shadow of the moon Phobos as it moved across the Martian surface.
Paris, France (SPX) Feb 20, 2006 - ESA's Mars Express spacecraft has seen more evidence that aurorae occur over the night side of Mars, especially over areas of the surface where variations in the magnetic properties of the crust have been detected. Observations from the ASPERA instrument on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft show structures (inverted-V features) of accelerated electrons and ions above the night side of Mars that are almost identical to those that occur above aurorae on Earth.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 19, 2006 - Opportunity has completed its work on the Olympia outcrop. This week's activities included a Moessbauer spectrometer integration on target Rough Rider, an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer integration on target Fala, and a short drive to Bellemont. Also the rover took microscopic imager mosaics of four targets at Bellemont.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 19, 2006 - Spirit will soon be on top of the rugged plateau known as Home Plate, which features the most spectacular layering Spirit has yet encountered, and begin taking images of the surrounding terrain. Spirit had a productive week investigating two rock targets, Barnhill and Posey.
Ashburn VA (SPX) Feb 19, 2006 - Clues to finding current or past life on Mars now or at some point in the past begins with an examination of Earth's most extreme environments and the adaptable microscopic life that thrives there, according to a group of researchers launched an international broadcast science expedition January 30, 2006 with The JASON Project.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 15, 2006 - NASA's Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been working overtime to help scientists better understand ancient environmental conditions on the red planet. The rovers are also generating excitement about the exploration of Mars outlined in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 14, 2006 - The Mars Rover team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory continues to pore over close-up images sent back by Spirit from a tabletop-like geologic feature called Home Plate in Gusev Crater.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 14, 2006 - The Mars Rover team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory continues to pore over close-up images sent back by Spirit from a tabletop-like geologic feature called Home Plate in Gusev Crater.
Houston, Texas (SPX) Feb 8, 2006 - New examinations of a Martian meteorite found nearly a century ago have strengthened the possibility that the red planet once harbored life.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 07, 2006 - Spirit is healthy and continues to make progress toward Home Plate after driving more than 150 meters (492 feet), taking images, making atmospheric observations, and analyzing geology.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 07, 2006 - Over the Super Bowl weekend, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission controllers wrapped up all their work on a formation called Upper Overgaard. It was a struggle, but everything's done, it's all in focus, and we're ready to move on, said chief scientists Steve Squyres. With everything we wanted at Upper Overgaard in the can, we're now ready to move on to Roosevelt. Commands have been uplinked, and we'll see what we see next.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 6, 2006 - NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its microscopic imager to capture this jagged mini-landscape on a rock mission scientists have called GongGong. Measuring only 1.2 inches (3 centimeters) across, its surface records two of the most important and violent forces in the history of Mars - volcanoes and wind.
