Recent Mars News

I was reading up on whats been going on with Mars this past week or so and thought some might be interested.

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Enters Final Testing

NASA is just over a year away from the launch of the Mars 2020 rover, and all systems are go for the rover’s flying passenger. After completing its flight test early this year, the Mars Helicopter Scout (MHS) is undergoing final preparation and could join the rover this summer. If it works as planned, the MHS will be the first flying machine on another planet.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around how this thing is going to fly on Mars. The air pressure is 100 times thinner than on Earth. There are dust devils, wind gusts and dust storms on Mars. Almost forgot, and the lightning. Mars Shocking Discovery: Why Red Planet's Lightning Is Weak And Rare

I am not sure this thing will fly and if it does I don't think it will last very long. Don't get me wrong, I hope it does because a helicopter taking pictures of the terrain on Mars will be very cool.

Pressure on the Surface of Mars



NASA's Mars 2020 Will Blaze a Trail — for Humans

While the science goal of the Mars 2020 rover is to look for signs of ancient life — it will be the first spacecraft to collect samples of the Martian surface, caching them in tubes that could be returned to Earth on a future mission — the vehicle also includes technology that paves the way for human exploration of Mars.

The atmosphere on Mars is mostly carbon dioxide and extremely thin (about 100 times less dense than Earth's), with no breathable oxygen. There's no water on the surface to drink, either. The landscape is freezing, with no protection from the Sun's radiation or from passing dust storms. The keys to survival will be technology, research and testing.

2020 Rover Search for Signs of Life

SHERLOC is mounted on the end of the rover's seven-foot robotic arm and includes a laser, camera and chemical analyzers, called spectrometers. The sensitive components will be used together to search for substances that have been altered by water and possibly reveal evidence of past microscopic life on Mars.

New Mars Rover To Carry Plaques Honoring City Nearly Destroyed By Camp Fire

NASA will be honoring the town of Paradise with their new rover set to make a trip to Mars.

The new Mars 2020 rover will apparently be carrying two tiles to the red planet to commemorate the town nearly wiped out by the Camp Fire.

NASA's 2020 Mars Rover Gets Its 1st Wheels, and a Mast

The robot also now has a suspension system and a set of wheels, both of which were put on Thursday (June 13). The suspension system is permanent, but the wheels will eventually come off; they'll be replaced by the flight models after Mars 2020 makes it to Florida

They were so excited they couldn't help but take a selfie.

NASA Mars 2020 rover workers snap the sweetest science selfie

You can watch the 2020 rover being built.

NASA letting you watch while they build Mars 2020 rover

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has a web camera showing where the technological marvel is being assembled and tested. They call the camera ‘Seeing 2020’ in reference to the launch window, which is scheduled to begin July 17, 2020.

Continued

Mysterious Martian Mineral Formation Possibly Caused By Ancient Activity

One image studied by the researchers showed a Mars region called Nili Fossae, a fractured-looking area rich in the mineral olivine. They pointed to the presence of the mineral on the surface as a possible sign of ancient volcanic activity as olivine is usually found in the cores of planets.

The study's authors also found serpentine, carbonate and other rock types that could be evidence that liquid water used to flow in the region.

Here is the paper, A widespread olivine-rich ash deposit on Mars

We find that the unit most likely formed as an ash-fall deposit, with a probable origin related to volcanism in the greater Syrtis Major–Isidis Planitia region. This work corroborates hypotheses that some extensive outcrops of ancient bedrock are clastic and that a planet-wide transition from dominantly explosive to effusive volcanism may have occurred in the Hesperian. Our findings also highlight the likely diverse origins of olivine-rich martian rocks and provide key geologic context for the aqueous alteration of the unit and underlying ancient crust.

The Star Trek insignia made all the headlines, but a lot of interesting HiRISE images have been released already this month.



It's all about the pasta.

Will evidence for life on Mars look like fettuccine pasta?

What is the best way to search for life on Mars? Looking for fossils? Microbes, either past or present? It turns out that the best thing to look for might indeed be microbial, but not in a form most people would expect. The most obvious evidence for ancient Martian life might be … pasta? Fettucine specifically, but not the kind you eat, of course. Rather, scientists suggest looking for a certain type of rock formation that resembles fettuccine. On Earth at least, these sorts of rocks are known to be created only by microbes.

This is What the Ground Looked Like After InSight Landed on Mars

Once InSight was settled on the smooth surface of Elysium Planitia, it took stock of its surroundings and checked out its systems. On December 14th, the 18th Martial day (sol) of the lander’s projected 709 sol mission, it used its Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) to capture this image of the gnarly Martian surface. Clearly visible are two pits excavated by the landers rockets.

NASA released a contrast-enhanced image that shows the two pits the InSight lander made. The pits were made when InSight used it's rocket engines to accomplish a powered landing on Mars.

The powered landing was a huge success and put humans a step closer to Mars. A powered landing is how humans will have to land on Mars. Bouncing beach balls or "sky hooks" won't cut it when landing humans on Mars. InSight's mole is not having as much success, but they haven't given up yet.

NASA Engineers Try To Remedy Stuck Probe On Mars

There's a mole stuck in the ground on Mars - not the small, furry animal but a probe on NASA's Mars InSight lander called the mole. It's a probe that was supposed to go 15 feet beneath the Martian surface, but it got stuck after only going one.

You can Watch these 2 planets: Mercury and Mars

They’re not the brightest planets in the sky now, and they’re visible only briefly after sunset. But – around June 17, 18 and 19 – Mercury and Mars will have the closest conjunction of 2 planets for 2019.

You can also Explore Mars in VR with This Rover Simulator

Previously, the simulator just had a generic "ridiculously overpowered rover" guiding the player through the planet. Now, Chan has added a recreation of Opportunity. “I added this update because I was saddened to hear about the end of Opportunity’s mission. When NASA announced the end-of-mission for Opportunity this past February, I went back and took at look at our Victoria Crater game level map, and wanted to retrace Opportunity’s steps around the crater," Chan tells Digital Trends.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

I'm particularly looking forward to the Mars helicopter , if the test is successful it could open the way for some interesting exploration options and hopefully spectacular video from above the Martian surface .

In the meantime I'm content that Mars 2020 will have a microphone so fingers crossed we will get to hear the sounds of Mars.

a reply to: gortex

The helicopter will be good for finding interesting targets for the rover to investigate too. I hope it works out.

The mic will be very cool also. Did you hear this?

How NASA recorded the eerie Martian wind, without a microphone

Although NASA sent the InSight lander to Mars to study Mars' earthquakes and geology, the robot's scientists discovered that one of InSight's instruments picked up audio of wind gusting against the machine's metal exterior, and they released the sounds on Friday. "It's what it's like to be there," Don Banfield, an InSight scientist, said in an interview. Beginning at the 1:10 mark in the video below, you can hear the Martian wind.

The mic is exciting. I am hoping the 2020 rover picks up more than wind noise. Maybe a meteor, thunder, landslide, we just don't know what sounds could be on Mars.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

We will not be living on Mars any time soon.
The dust will be nearly impossible to keep out of the habitats, just look at the pictures the of lunar astronauts looking like coal miners after only a few days..

Nearly a year in weightlessness just getting there will take its toll on humans and then the low gravity will likely have adverse effects too.

I don't envy the radiation people will endure on the trip or after they arrive either.
Lunar astronauts reported weird flashes of light that nasa figured might be from radiation of one type or another. Only 24 humans have left the protection of earths magnetic field so we have no clue what the long term effects will be.

Even the track record of safely landing a probe on Mars is so so..


I guess if someone has a death wish they can give it a try...

a reply to: Bluntone22

The dust will be nearly impossible to keep out of the habitats

We will need a system for that, but it is nowhere near impossible. There are systems today to keep rooms dust free. They may need a few improvements and upgrades, but we have the tech and garb to live on Mars dust free.

Nearly a year in weightlessness

I think we will use some type of artificial gravity. All it takes is for the spaceship to spin. It may not be as strong as Earth gravity, Mars gravity maybe, but it will help.

I don't envy the radiation people will endure on the trip or after they arrive either.

There are many solutions for radiation protection. From the spaceship hulls being part of the water system, to living underground in lava tubes. Radiation is not much of a problem. There are different kinds of radiation and this isn't the nuclear bomb or Chernobyl type radiation we are talking about.

Even the track record of safely landing a probe on Mars is so so

If looked at for the entire history of Mars landings, I agree. Lets look at the last 15 or 20 years. NASA has a perfect record for landing on Mars. Including two powered landings. NASA sucked at first, but they have it pretty much down now.

I guess if someone has a death wish

We all die, why not do it on Mars

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Look up the story on biosphere 2.

a reply to: Bluntone22

I know the story, didn't work out too good.

Comparing NASA scientists and engineers to a bunch of hippies is funny

I have my problems with NASA, but I don't believe they are that incompetent.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Well nasa does pay Russia to put our astronauts in space...lol

Just saying it's not happening soon.
Maybe 50 years.