The search for life beyond Earth fascinates many and inspires big questions: Are we truly alone in the universe? Is our Earth unique? Is it possible that life beyond Earth may actually be far from little green aliens and ...
A small international team of Earth scientists, geologists and astronomers has conducted a study of Mars morphology and mineralogy and discovered that the planet may have experienced volcanism and crustal recycling during ...
In several billion years, our sun will become a white dwarf. What will happen to Jupiter and Saturn when the sun transitions to become a stellar remnant? Life could go on, though the giant planets will likely drift further ...
It is difficult to emphasize the significance of the milestone surpassed by Nasa's Mars helicopter, Ingenuity.
Since methane was first detected in Mars' atmosphere 20 years ago, scientists have struggled to uncover its origins and how it is transported around the Red Planet. Measurements from atmospheric samples collected by NASA's ...
New research shows that atmospheric pressure fluctuations that pull gases up from underground could be responsible for releasing subsurface methane into Mars's atmosphere; knowing when and where to look for methane can help ...
Windswept piles of dust, or layers of ice? ESA's Mars Express has revisited one of Mars's most mysterious features to clarify its composition. Its findings suggest layers of water ice stretching several kilometers below ground—the ...
This month marks the 20th anniversary of Spirit and Opportunity's landing on Mars, part of a mission whose legacy will extend far into the future.
There are many different ways to get to Mars, but there are always tradeoffs. Chemical propulsion, proven the most popular, can quickly get a spacecraft to the red planet. But they come at a high cost of bringing their fuel, ...
A recent study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters investigates the potential existence of Mars-sized free-floating planets (FFPs)—also known as rogue planets, starless planets, and wandering planets—that could ...
