Nasa Mars Mission

Blue Origin launches huge rocket carrying twin Nasa spacecraft to Mars

Blue Origin launched its huge New Glenn rocket Thursday with a pair of NASA spacecraft destined for Mars. It was only the second flight of the rocket that Jeff Bezos' company and NASA are counting on to get people and supplies to the moon. The 321-foot (98-meter) New Glenn blasted into the afternoon sky from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, sending NASA's twin Mars orbiters on a drawn-out journey to the red planet. Liftoff was stalled four days by lousy local weather as well as solar storms strong enough to paint the skies with auroras as far south as Florida. In a remarkable first, Blue Origin recovered the booster following its separation from the upper stage and the Mars orbiters, an essential step to recycle and slash costs similar to SpaceX. Company employees cheered wildly as the booster landed upright on a barge 375 miles (600 kilometers) offshore. An ecstatic Bezos watched the action from Launch Control. Next stop, moon! company employees chanted following the successful

Nearly 4,000 Nasa workers set to exit voluntarily: Here's why it matters

Leadership turns to voluntary exits to avoid layoffs, but experts warn of long-term impact on missions and innovation

Nasa rover detects first aurora on Mars that's visible to human eye

NASA's Perseverance rover has detected the first aurora at Mars that's visible to the human eye, good news for future astronauts who can savour the view on the red planet. European and US scientists reported that the green aurora in the dusty Martian sky was generated by a solar storm last year and had three days' advance notice to set aside viewing time with the rover's cameras. Previous auroras observed at Mars appeared only in the ultraviolet, but this one was in the visible wavelength. It resulted from a solar flare in March 2024 that was followed by a coronal mass ejection of plasma from the sun that was directed toward Mars. These latest observations show that forecasting of northern and southern lights is now possible at Mars, allowing scientists to study space weather, said University of Oslo's Elise Wright Knutsen , whose research appeared Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. While the brightness of this event was dimmed by dust, events under better viewing condition

Billionaire Isaacman set to head Nasa, to focus on moon and Mars mission

According to a BBC report, Isaacman is yet to receive a clear vote of the full chamber to lead Nasa, a space agency which has set its eyes on returning to the moon

After Ingenuity's success, Nasa introduces a new 'Mars Chopper' design

Nasa has unveiled a new Mars drone design, called the "Mars Chopper." The latest drone design is bulkier compared to its predecessor and it has a greater payload capacity

Nasa's Viking landers accidentally killed life on Mars, says astrobiologist

Astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch believes Nasa's Viking missions have inadvertently 'eliminated' Martian life. He also mentioned that Martian life may have adapted to the planet's dry environment

Crew of Nasa's earthbound simulated Mars mission emerge after a year

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 ...

Nasa wants astronauts for its Moon, Mars missions: Check how to apply

The search for the astronauts is part of NASA's mission - Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which will carry humans for missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars

In pics: Nasa's Curiosity sends postcard showing Martian morning, afternoon

The black-and-white photos of the surface of Mars were converted into panoramic images by scientists

Prez Biden proposes $27.2 bn for NASA to boost Moon, Mars programmes

The proposal asks $8.1 billion for the Artemis programme, which aims to send astronauts to Mars, through NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach

NASA MRO spacecraft captures unusual circles of sand dunes on Mars

He explained that this indicates that "sand generally moves to the south, but the winds may be variable"

NASA prepares to bid goodbye to Mars InSight lander in next few weeks

Russia called a Security Council meeting on its claims last Thursday, which the United States and its Western allies vehemently dismissed

NASA to laser-mark graffiti on Martian rocks for further study on Earth

NASA has laser marked graffiti on Martian rocks to identify rock samples that will be brought to Earth for study

NASA confirms first Mars rock sample by Perseverance rover

NASA's Perseverance rover on Tuesday completed the collection of the first sample of Martian rock, a core from Jezero Crater slightly thicker than a pencil.

Nasa's self-driving Perseverance Mars Rover 'takes the wheel' on crater

NASA's newest six-wheeled robot on Mars, the Perseverance rover, is beginning an epic journey across a crater floor seeking signs of ancient life, the US space agency announced on Thursday

Nasa Mars helicopter heard humming through planet's thin Martian air

First came the amazing pictures, then the video. Now Nasa is sharing sounds of its little helicopter humming through the thin Martian air

Nasa's Perseverance Mars rover extracts first oxygen from Red Planet

The growing list of "firsts" for Perseverance, Nasa's newest six-wheeled robot on the Martian surface, includes converting some of the Red Planet's thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen

Ingenuity: NASA to attempt 1st controlled flight on Mars as soon as Monday

NASA is targeting no earlier than Monday, April 19, for the first flight of its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

NASA's Mars Helicopter Ingenuity to make first flight attempt on Sunday

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is two days away from making humanity's first attempt at powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet

With blessings from Wright Brothers, Ingenuity aims for 1st flight by Apr 8

The rover is in transit to the 'airfield' where the Ingenuity will attempt to fly. Once deployed, it will have 30 Martian days, or sols, (31 Earth days) to conduct its test flight campaign