Moffett Field - Dec 20, 2002 - NASA scientists and engineers are testing new technologies using a K9 rover in a newly built 'Marscape' test facility in preparation for future missions to Mars.
Tucson - Dec 19, 2002 - Salty water driven by hot magma from Mars' deep interior may be forming some of the mysterious dark slope streaks visible near the Red Planet's equator, according to University of Arizona scientists.
Melbourne - Dec 17, 2002 - Of course, Mars has no reasonable-sized moon to light the night or add romance to a lover's stroll. Its two small companions hasten across the sky like fireflies and the surface below remains dark and cold, but there are degrees of cold, and the THEMIS Infra-Red (IR) Camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft is sensitive to the different wavelengths of IR light, from which we can measure the surface temperature both at night and day.
Paris - Dec 17, 2002 - The hatch to the airlock opens, revealing a human figure encased in a white pressure suit. After a brief glance at the strange surroundings through his bowl-shaped visor, the ambassador from Earth gingerly steps outside and begins to descend the ladder.
Los Alamos - Dec 17, 2002 - Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of Arizona Lunar Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ, and Cornell University, Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Ithaca, NY have discovered further evidence for the possible existence of a changing, and perhaps predictable, Martian climate.
Moffett Field - Dec 12, 2002 - Scientists from NASA and the University of Colorado suggest the bombardment of comets and asteroids on early Mars caused cycles of rain that led to global flooding and the formation of Mars' river valleys and other water-sculpted landscapes.
Reston - Dec 12, 2002 - Surface water in the form of ice exposed near the edge of Mars's southern perennial polar cap has been discovered for the first time, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research released today in the journal Science. There is evidence that the surface water ice in this region may be widespread -- from a half-mile to six miles around the entire southern polar ice cap.
Pasadena - Dec 12, 2002 - The latest observations from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, highlighting water ice distribution and infrared images of the Red Planet's surface, are being released this week at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
Boulder - Dec 12, 2002 - A new study led by University of Colorado at Boulder researchers indicates Mars has been primarily a cold, dry planet following its formation some 4 billion years ago, making the possibility of the evolution of life there challenging at best.
San Francisco - Dec 12, 2002 - Last week, at a special session of the American Geophysical Union's annual Fall meeting in San Francisco, over two dozen experts in Mars' climate and hydrology met to discuss issues relating to how river-like channels formed on the planet, focusing especially on the very earliest evidence dating back to the Noachian era (3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago).
Los Angeles - Nov 26, 2002 - The first Mars Desert Research Station crew rotation of the fall 2002 season is now nearing its conclusion.
Pasadena - Nov 19, 2002 - Among the thousands of visitors to Mt. Etna this year, one group came not just to look at one of most famous volcanoes on Earth. Dozens of scientists trekked up Etna together this fall to observe what Etna has in common with Mars.
Huntsville - Nov 14, 2002 - This remarkable image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory image gave scientists their first look at X-rays from Mars. In the sparse upper atmosphere of Mars, about 75 miles above its surface, the observed X-rays are produced by fluorescent radiation from oxygen atoms.
Pasadena (JPL) Nov 13, 2002 - Like any travelers worth their frequent flyer miles, the twin rovers of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission must prepare for a long journey. Unlike airline passengers, however, the rovers won't have an attentive flight crew to tend to their needs.
Denver - Oct 28, 2002 - Ghosts of the most ancient craters in the solar system are materializing on Mars. Using altimeter data from the Mars Global Surveyor and special graphics software, a father and daughter have found the circular outlines of the Red Planet's earliest impact craters and basins -- pounded into what remains of the planet's first crust.
Los Angeles - Oct 21, 2002 - Members of the founding Board of Directors of the Mars Institute formally unveiled the new organization today at the World Space Congress.
