Moffett Field CA (SPX) Feb 08, 2005 - Mars is often enveloped by planet-wide dust storms - their biting winds choke the air and scour the arid surface. Tornado-like dust devils dance across the planet so frequently that their numerous tracks crisscross each other, tracing convoluted designs in the red soil.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 07, 2005 - Opportunity continues to be active and healthy, making good progress south across the Meridiani plains with a few hiccups along the way. Despite the early end of one autonomous traverse and a Deep Space Network problem that precluded sending commands on sol 364, the rover covered more than 300 meters (984 feet) in the past week, breaking its own one-sol distance records twice! Having scuffed and trenched in the sands of the plain, Opportunity is now examining the trench and nearby soil targets.
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2005 - Injecting synthetic super greenhouse gases into the Martian atmosphere could raise the planet's temperature enough to melt its polar ice caps and create conditions suitable for sustaining biological life.
London (UPI) Feb 03, 2005 - Investigators have concluded the Beagle 2 Mars probe should never have been given the go-ahead by the European Space Agency, BBC News Online reported Thursday.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 03, 2005 - Spirit had another productive week in the locale of a target called Peace. Because of strong interest in the unusual character of Peace, the team decided to throw the full science instrument payload at the rock.
Paris (ESA) Feb 01, 2005 - We detected light emissions in the nightside Martian atmosphere with the SPICAM ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer on board Mars Express. The UV spectrum of this nightglow is composed of hydrogen Lyman a emission (121.6 nanometres) and the g and d bands of nitric oxide (NO) (190 to 270 nanometres) produced when N and O atoms combine to produce the NO molecule.
Imagine this scenario. The year is 2030 or thereabouts. After voyaging six months from Earth, you and several other astronauts are the first humans on Mars.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 01, 2005 - Since landing on Mars a year ago, NASA's pair of six-wheeled geologists have been constantly exposed to martian winds and dust. Because the rovers use solar power and sunlight is currently limited on Mars, the rovers can only cover from 50 to 100 feet on a good day.
Moffet Field CA (SPX) Jan 31, 2005 - Jean-Loup Bertaux, of the Service d'Aeronomie du CNRS in France, is Principal Investigator for the spectrometer instrument onboard the ESA's Mars Express orbiter. His SPICAM instrument team detected a night glow on Mars, and they have now published their discovery in the January 28th edition of the journal Science. He sat down with Astrobiology Magazine editor Leslie Mullen to discuss this new finding, and describe how it could aid future missions to Mars.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 31, 2005 - After spending 25 sols at the heat shield and nearby meteorite, Opportunity has completed its investigation of both and has started a long migration south. The rover is currently heading for a small crater called Argo.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 26, 2005 - Every 26 months, the Solar System's planetary dance brings Mars and Earth closer than usual, providing an ideal chance to launch a mission to the Red Planet. In 2001, NASA's Mars Odyssey launched to study its climate. Two years later, twin Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity began a mission that confirmed water once existed on Mars.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 25, 2005 - Opportunity completed its work on Heat Shield Rock during sols 347 through 352, then got into position for more observations of the heat shield.
NASA's second Mars Exploration Rover passed the first anniversary of its mission to the red planet on Monday.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Jan 25, 2005 - Spirit is healthy, but reduced sunlight has been reaching the rover through the atmosphere due to a possible dust storm identified from orbital data. Despite limited energy during the period from sol 367 through sol 373, Spirit made good progress by driving about 20 meters (66 feet) closer to top of Cumberland Ridge. Spirit is investigating a rock called Peace. Sol-by-sol summaries:
Wilmington DE (SPX) Jan 24, 2005 - One year to the month after Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars, the Rovers are still roaming the planet, sending back crystal-clear images of the Martian surface. Their durable parts help keep them going, enabled by DuPont science.
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 24, 2005 - Over twenty meteorites from Mars have been discovered in Antarctica, so why shouldn't it be possible to find other chunks of our solar system sitting somewhere on Mars too? But the martian surprise of finding an off - world sample while driving has scientists inching towards a closer look.
