Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
New research from The Australian National University (ANU) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has unveiled insights into Mars' geological evolution. Analysis of marsquakes-seismic events similar to earthquakes-could clarify the processes that shaped the planet over billions of years. The study addresses the long-standing mystery of the Martian dichotomy, where the southern hemisphere's cr

London UK (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
Over 15,000 mounds are scattered across Chryse Planitia in Mars' lowlands - but until recently, no one knew how they got there. Scientists have dug into the history of these geological features ahead of a new mission to the red planet, revealing a time when water flowed across its surface. Large parts of Mars' highlands may have been washed away four billion years ago. While th

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander continues its ambitious mission to the Moon, transporting 10 NASA science and technology payloads. Now four days into the mission, the spacecraft has successfully completed its first main engine burn. This critical maneuver sets the stage for Blue Ghost to follow a precise trajectory toward the Moon. The mission plan involves a 25-day Earth orbit phase, after wh

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has announced the upcoming launch of its Electron rocket for Kineis, a global Internet-of-Things (IoT) connectivity provider. This mission, titled "IOT 4 You and Me," is scheduled to lift off during a launch window opening on February 4th, NZDT. The daily launch opportunity within this window is at 09:43 am NZDT (20:43 UTC). The launch will take place at Rocket Lab's L

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
Astronomers have observed remarkably powerful winds on the giant exoplanet WASP-127b, located over 500 light-years from Earth. These winds, clocked at an extraordinary 33,000 km/h, represent the fastest jetstream ever identified on any planet. The findings were made using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) in Chile, offering fresh insights into extreme weather c

Cleveland OH (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
The mystique of Mars has been studied for centuries. The fourth planet from the Sun is reminiscent of a rich, red desert and features a rugged surface challenging to traverse. While several robotic missions have landed on Mars, NASA has only explored 1% of its surface. Ahead of future human and robotic missions to the Red Planet, NASA recently completed rigorous rover testing on Martian-simulate

Grand Forks, ND (SPX) Jan 21, 2025
The U.S.'s return to the Moon with NASA's Artemis program will not be a mere stroll in the park. Instead it will be a perilous journey to a lunar location representing one of the most extreme environments in the solar system. For the Artemis program astronauts, walking on the Moon will require new ways of thinking, the latest technology and innovative approaches to improve boot and spacesu

A study using data from ESA’s Swarm mission suggests that faint magnetic signatures created by Earth’s tides can help us determine magma distribution under the seabed and could even give us insights into long-term trends in global ocean temperatures and salinity.

Two decades after Mars Express, ESA is returning to small-scale missions aimed at exploring the Red Planet. With a completely different landscape of technologies available this time around, new opportunities for interplanetary missions open up. As part of ESA's LightShip initiative, four consortia will conduct independent parallel studies to define what a small low cost Mars satellite-platform could look like as a LightShip passenger.

Pasadena CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2025
Researchers have discovered two sets of ancient wave ripples on Mars, signatures of long-dried bodies of water preserved in the rock record. Wave ripples are small undulations in the sandy shores of lakebeds, created as wind-driven water laps back and forth. The two sets of ripples indicate the former presence of shallow water that was open to the Martian air, not covered by ice as some climate