The ChemCam instrument, developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, recently zapped its laser for the 1 millionth time on Mars. Sitting on top of NASA's Curiosity rover, ChemCam has been helping make groundbreaking discoveries ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 6, 2024
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The question of whether Mars ever supported life has captivated the imagination of scientists and the public for decades. Central to the discovery is gaining insight into the past climate of Earth's neighbor: Was the planet ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 10, 2024
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354
Mars's surface is covered in all manner of scratches and scars. Its many marks include the fingernail scratches of Tantalus Fossae, the colossal canyon system of Valles Marineris, the oddly orderly ridges of Angustus Labyrinthus, ...
Planetary Sciences
May 30, 2024
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35
Although Mars presents a barren, dusty landscape with no signs of life so far, its geological features such as deltas, lakebeds, and river valleys strongly suggest a past where water once flowed abundantly on its surface. ...
Astrobiology
May 13, 2024
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311
A research team using the ChemCam instrument onboard NASA's Curiosity rover discovered higher-than-usual amounts of manganese in lakebed rocks within Gale Crater on Mars, which indicates that the sediments were formed in ...
Astrobiology
May 1, 2024
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4682
The most surprising revelation from NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover—that methane is seeping from the surface of Gale Crater—has scientists scratching their heads.
Astrobiology
Apr 22, 2024
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561
Billions of years ago, Mars was home to abundant water, and its Gale crater contained a lake. Gradually, the climate changed, drying the red planet and creating the dusty desert world we know today.
Planetary Sciences
Mar 22, 2024
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1342
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 ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 27, 2024
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35
Four thousand Martian days after setting its wheels in Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover remains busy conducting exciting science. The rover recently drilled its 39th sample, then dropped the pulverized ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 6, 2023
2
151
Lava tubes and chambers attract a lot of attention as potential sites for bases on the moon and Mars. They provide protection from radiation, from temperature swings, and even from meteorites. They beg to be explored.
Planetary Sciences
Nov 2, 2023
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