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Mars
Names of researchers and places from Kerala have been approved for geographic features on Mars -- among these is a 3.5-billion-year-old crater that will be named after pioneering geologist M S Krishnan, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has announced. "The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the names Krishnan, Valiamala, Varkala, Thumba, Bekal, Krishnan Palus, and Periyar Vallis for seven features on Mars," the announcement dated November 24 reads. Krishnan was the first Indian to serve as the Director of the Geological Survey of India in 1951. "Once names are approved by the IAU WGPSN, they can be used on maps and in publications," Ramasamy Venugopal from the IAU's Office of Astronomy for Development said in an email to PTI. Founded in 1919, the IAU's mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication and education, through international cooperation. Members of the organisation from across 92 .
India plans to set up 3D-printed dwellings on Mars and launch precursor missions to land humans on the Red Planet in the next four decades, according to a roadmap for the future drawn up by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The roadmap is an outcome of nationwide consultations carried out by the space agency, which culminated at the National Space Day celebrations here last weekend. According to the roadmap, India plans to build a crew station on the Moon by 2047, mine for minerals and other resources, operate crewed lunar terrain vehicles and also have propellant depots that could fuel inter-planetary missions and support the stay of astronauts on the Earth's only natural satellite. ISRO has also drawn up plans to upgrade its launch vehicles significantly that would aim to carry 150-tonne payloads to orbit in a single mission. At present, ISRO's launch vehicle GSLV Mark-III can haul up payloads up to 4 tonnes to the geosynchronous transfer orbit and 8 tonnes payload to
It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth - a 25 gm meteorite that fetched more than $5 million at a New York auction last month, setting a world record. But in the West African nation of Niger, where the rusty-red rock was unearthed in the Sahara Desert, officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible illicit international trafficking, claiming it may have been smuggled out of the country. Sotheby's said the rock, named NWA 16788, was blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and travelled 140 million miles (225 million km) to Earth. It was discovered in the Sahara in northwestern Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, according to the auction house. His identity was not disclosed. Nor was the identity of the buyer last month. Meteorite hunting is growing in arid Saharan countries like Niger. Though meteorites can fall anywhere on Earth, the Sahara has become a prime spot for their discovery in part due to the favourable clima
For sale: A 54-pound (25-kilogramme) rock. Estimated auction price: $2 million to $4 million. Why so expensive? It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth. Sotheby's in New York will be auctioning what's known as NWA 16788 on Wednesday as part of a natural history-themed sale that also includes a juvenile Ceratosaurus dinosaur skeleton that's more than 6 feet tall and nearly 11 feet long. According to the auction house, the meteorite is believed to have been blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike before travelling 140 million miles to Earth, where it crashed into the Sahara. A meteorite hunter found it in Niger in November 2023, Sotheby's says. The red, brown and gray hunk is about 70% larger than the next largest piece of Mars found on Earth and represents nearly 7% of all the Martian material currently on this planet, Sotheby's says. It measures nearly 15 inches by 11 inches by 6 inches. This Martian meteorite is the largest piece of Mars we have ever
NASA's Perseverance rover is tackling a steep new challenge on Mars. The six-wheeled rover has spent the last 3 1/2 years roaming around the bottom of a crater. On Tuesday, it began climbing to the top. The rover will go up 1,000 feet (305 meters) to the rim of Jezero Crater to dig up rock samples. Since landing on the red planet in 2021, Perseverance has collected 22 rock core samples from the floor of the crater, which was once filled with water. The rover's samples may help scientists piece together what the planet's climate looked like billions of years ago and learn whether any ancient Martian life lurked. NASA is exploring ways to bring the rock samples to Earth. The bedrock at the rim of the crater might yield clues as to how rocky planets like Mars and Earth came to be, said Steven Lee with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. But the road ahead won't be easy. Perseverance will scale rocky terrain and slopes of up to 23 degrees on the months-long ...
The crew of a NASA mission to Mars emerged from their craft after a yearlong voyage that never left Earth. The four volunteer crew members spent more than 12 months inside NASA's first simulated Mars environment at Johnson Space Center in Houston, coming out of the artificial alien enviroment Saturday around 5 p.m. Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell and Nathan Jones entered the 3D-printed habitat on June 25, 2023, as the maiden crew of the space agency's Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog project. Haston, the mission commander, began with a simple, Hello. It's actually just so wonderful to be able to say hello' to you all, she said. Jones, a physician and the mission medical officer, said their 378 days in confinement went by quickly. The quartet lived and worked inside the space of 1,700 square feet (157 square meters) to simulate a mission to the red planet, the fourth from the sun and a frequent focus of discussion among scientists and sci-fi fans alike ...
The world is obsessing over the June 3 planet parade', touted as a rare phenomenon. It is being said that only on June 3 planets will be visible to the naked eye. But Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru has released a series of posts debunking many theories being circulated via social media. "For one, it is not exclusively on June 3. These planets can be seen aligned over many days in the coming week," said Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, head, IIA's SCOPE section. According to him, on the days before June 3, Jupiter is closer to the Sun and after June 3, Mercury gets closer to the sun, hence June 3 is optimal. "You can go out before sunrise every day in the coming week and try and spot as many planets as you can," added Ramanujam. According to IIA's social media posts, in the coming week, people can see yellowish Saturn clearly, high up in the Eastern morning sky, with the reddish Mars halfway below. The rest of the planets that are supposed to be visible during the planet .