The Red Planet

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March 2009
- NASA to Reboot Mars Orbiter
  
  Space.com | Mar 5, 09 1:59 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Odyssey, NASA’s Mars orbiter, must reboot its computer systems, a risky move necessary to ensure continued functionality, Space.com reports. The reboot, slated for next week, should clear out the damaging effects of continued exposure to space radiation on the Odyssey’s memory system. The orbiter’s last reboot was in 2003. As a bonus, the operation will test the Odyssey’s backup systems. More »
January 2009
- Methane Hints at Life on Mars
  
  Houston Chronicle | Jan 15, 09 4:38 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The discovery of high methane concentrations on Mars may hint that underground life exists on the red planet, the Houston Chronicle reports. Scientists funded by NASA and other institutions, using Earth-based telescopes, have found plumes of methane in such high concentrations they believe bacteria, which can also produce the gas on Earth, may be the source. More »
- Built for 90 Days, Mars Rovers Mark 5 Years
  
  Space.com | Jan 3, 09 3:55 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - NASA’s twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity are celebrating their fifth birthdays on Mars after surviving more than 20 times their expected lifespan, Space.com reports. The two probes were each built for a 90-day trek across the Red Planet but have survived computer glitches and blistering weather conditions. “These rovers are incredibly resilient,” said a NASA project manager. More »
December 2008
- New Rover Won't Hit Mars Until 2011
  
  Space.com | Dec 4, 08 3:57 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - NASA is delaying the launch of its next Mars rover, which is significantly larger and more complex than previous models, until 2011, Space.com reports. The Mars Science Laboratory was set to arrive on the red planet next year, but problems with crucial mechanical components mean it will miss its tight launch window. “We're really only a few months behind schedule, not two years behind schedule,” said the director of the exploration program. More »
November 2008
- Mars Lander Falls Silent
  
  NASA | Nov 10, 08 5:11 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Martian autumn has cut power to NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander, ending its mission of scientific discovery, NASA reports. As anticipated, shorter days and increasingly overcast skies are preventing sufficient solar energy from reaching the lander’s power cells. It has already collected data for 2 months longer than its originally planned 90-day mission, yielding information crucial to understanding Mars’ environment. More »
August 2008
- Mission Accomplished on Mars
  
  Wired | Aug 29, 08 5:32 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Time's almost up for NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander: With its 90-day mission complete, the $480 million project will continue testing soil samples until the punishing winter puts it out of commission. Wired recaps Phoenix triumphs with an interactive timeline, from its flawless landing at Mars' north pole to its groundbreaking analysis of Martian ice and water. More »
- Mars Toxin Dims Hopes for Red Planet Life
  
  Space.com | Aug 5, 08 8:55 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Phoenix lander has found a toxin in Mars soil that considerably decreases the odds of finding Martian life, Science.com reports. The chemical, perchlorate, is a harsh oxidizing agent often used in solid rocket fuel, so researchers are double checking to ensure it wasn’t carried from Earth. The results are especially surprising because Sunday’s tests revealed no sign of perchlorate. More »
- NASA Briefs White House on Possible Martian Life
  
  Aviation Week | Aug 2, 08 3:23 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - NASA has briefed the White House on its plan to announce a new finding on the "potential for life" on Mars, Aviation Week reports. NASA has no evidence that the red planet has harbored life, but new Phoenix lander discoveries suggest it is possible—a finding that Phoenix officials call far more “provocative” than the mere presence of water. More »
July 2008
- NASA Lander Confirms Water on Mars
  
  Associated Press | Jul 31, 08 8:50 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - The Phoenix spacecraft has tasted Martian water for the first time. By melting icy soil in one of its lab instruments, the robot confirmed the presence of frozen water lurking below the Martian permafrost. Until now, evidence of ice in Mars' north pole region has been largely circumstantial. Scientists popped open champagne today when they received confirmation. More »
- Sticky Soil Foils Mars Work
  
  Space.com | Jul 28, 08 8:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - NASA is revising its soil-harvesting method because the Phoenix Mars lander is having trouble with its icy finds, Space.com reports. The lander’s attempts to analyze the soil have been troubled because the soil is sticking to its scoop, stubbornly refusing to fall into the tiny oven designed to melt and study it. Next time, the scoop will dig less and vibrate more. NASA is studying the soil to see whether it could have ever supported life. More »
- Scientists Hatch Round-Trip Mission to Mars
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jul 14, 08 9:05 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Before scientists can put a man on Mars, they first need to figure out how to get a mission back to Earth, reports the Guardian. An international team is doing just that—developing an $8 billion mission to travel to Mars and return with rock samples and possibly microscopic life. The trip would launch between 2018 and 2023 and would require the expertise and financial backing of NASA, the European Space Agency, and other space programs. More »
June 2008
- 'You Might Be Able to Grow Asparagus' on Mars
  
  Reuters | Jun 26, 08 4:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Samples of Martian soil analyzed by instruments onboard the Phoenix lander have earth-bound scientists “flabbergasted.” Why? Readings indicate that the extraterrestrial loam could, perhaps has, and possibly will, support life, Reuters reports. Along with ice the lander discovered earlier, “We basically have found what appears to be the requirements, the nutrients, to support life,” a scientist said. More »
- Huge Meteor Strike Explains Mars’s Shape, Reports Say
  
  New York Times | Jun 26, 08
  
  The lopsided shape of Mars may well be a result of a cataclysmic impact of a Pluto-size meteor billions of years ago, three teams of scientists are reporting. That would suggest that the lowlands of Mars’s northern hemisphere are a single gigantic impact crater, the largest crater in the solar system.
- Scientists Hail Ice Find on Mars
  
  Wired | Jun 20, 08 4:49 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - White material on Mars that was puzzling NASA scientists has turned out to be ice, Wired reports. "Are you ready to celebrate? We have ICE! Best day ever!" gushed a team scientist. The discovery of evidence of water—essential for terrestrial life—is exactly what scientists were hoping to find on Mars. More »
- Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft
  
  Associated Press | Jun 19, 08 3:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander stopped digging yesterday to give its memory a rest after a computer glitch caused the loss of photographs and scientific data, the AP reports. Scientists were alerted to the problem after the lander transmitted a single piece of information 45,000 times. "It's unfortunate to lose any bit of science," one scientist said. "But it's not really critical stuff that you kick yourself over." More »
- Mars Lander Finds Ice... or Salt
  
  Associated Press | Jun 17, 08 1:20 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Phoenix Mars lander has found… well, something. While digging a pair of trenches on the Red Planet’s North Pole, the little robot sent back images of soil streaked with something white. Now scientists are wondering whether it’s the ice they’d hoped for, a salt deposit, or something else. If it’s ice, scientists expect it to transform from liquid to gas when the sun touches it. More »
- Shake 'N Bake: Unclogged Phoenix Ovens Ready
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jun 12, 08 7:26 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Scientists were cheering yesterday after a tricky operation succeeded in shaking Martian dirt into the Phoenix lander's oven, the Los Angeles Times . The spacecraft will now spend the next few weeks heating up soil samples and analyzing gases. Scientists hope the tests and photos being sent back today will help them understand why the planet's strange, clumpy soil is so different from what they expected. More »
- Clumpy Soil on Mars Tests Scientists' Skill
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Jun 10, 08 3:37 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The soil on Mars turns out to be too clumpy to be analyzed by the Phoenix lander, but scientists are confident they've found away around the problem by "dribbling" it small amounts on sifters. They won't know for sure whether the new technique works for a day or two, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. More »
- Mars Through a Microscope
  
  Reuters | Jun 6, 08 7:34 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first high-resolution images of another planet's dirt and sand in its continued quest for signs of life in the planet's polar region. The microscopic particles were kicked up when the lander touched down and collected on a slide, Reuters reports. Scientists note that a whitish material in one image probably is not ice but some kind of mineral. More »
- Stowaway Molecules Could Taint Mars Results
  
  LiveScience | Jun 5, 08 4:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Missions searching for signs of life on Mars could be fooled by organic molecules that hitched a ride from Earth, a new study suggests. University of Florida researchers using simulated Martian conditions found that ATP, an energy-storing molecule fundamental to terrestrial life, could survive the trip and hang around for months or years on NASA equipment, LiveScience reports. More »