Researchers said Wednesday they had observed water vapour escaping high up in the thin atmosphere of Mars, offering tantalising new clues as to whether the Red Planet could have once hosted life.
Planetary Sciences
Feb 10, 2021
1
2780
Scientists using an instrument aboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft have discovered that water vapor near the surface of the Red Planet is lofted higher into the atmosphere than anyone ...
Space Exploration
Nov 13, 2020
2
81
Mars once had oceans but is now bone-dry, leaving many to wonder how the water was lost. University of Arizona researchers have discovered a surprisingly large amount of water in the upper atmosphere of Mars, where it is ...
Astronomy
Nov 12, 2020
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The mystery of some lava-like flows on Mars has been solved by scientists who say they are caused not by lava but by mud.
Space Exploration
May 18, 2020
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A Southwest Research Institute scientist modeled the atmosphere of Mars to help determine that salty pockets of water present on the Red Planet are likely not habitable by life as we know it on Earth. A team that also included ...
Astronomy
May 11, 2020
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311
With the launch period of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover opening in 14 weeks, final preparations of the spacecraft continue at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the past week, the assembly, test and launch operations ...
Space Exploration
Apr 10, 2020
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Briny water may form on the surface of Mars a few days per year, research by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Norbert Schorghofer shows.
Space Exploration
Feb 12, 2020
0
134
NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft has discovered "layers" and "rifts" in the electrically charged part of the upper atmosphere (the ionosphere) of Mars. The phenomenon is very common at Earth ...
Astronomy
Feb 4, 2020
1
80
A type of Martian aurora first identified by NASA's MAVEN spacecraft in 2016 is actually the most common form of aurora occurring on the Red Planet, according to new results from the mission. The aurora is known as a proton ...
Space Exploration
Dec 13, 2019
49
512
Today, a paper published in Science documents for the first time the global wind circulation patterns in the upper atmosphere of a planet, 120 to 300 kilometers above the surface. The findings are based on local observations, ...
Astronomy
Dec 12, 2019
1
808
