What an extraterrestrial view. The long-lived Mars Express Orbiter — a European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft that has flown around Mars for over two decades and recently eclipsed 25,000 orbits — captured a highly detailed image of the Red Planet. And among the giant Martian volcanoes is a surprise. “The stunning view shows volcanoes, valleys, … Read more
A few weeks ago, NASA’s robotic Mars explorers were given some time off from hard work while the agency waited out Mars solar conjunction, a natural phenomenon that could interfere with their communications. Leading up to the pause, the Curiosity rover was put in park — but its Hazard-Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams) kept snapping away. In … Read more
Whereas rumbling over Mount Sharp on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered an odd crackled terrain. These distinct patterns in dry mud, discovered over 100 million miles away in house, are an exhilarating discovery for geologists. The cracks kind a lattice of hexagons, signaling that the land has gone by way of intermittent spells of wetness … Read more