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| November 19, 2013 |
 NASA launches spacecraft to study Mars atmosphere Cape Canaveral (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - NASA on Monday launched its unmanned MAVEN spacecraft toward Mars to study the Red Planet's atmosphere for clues as to why Earth's neighbor lost its warmth and water over time. The white Atlas V 401 rocket carrying the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiter blasted off on schedule at 1:28 pm (1828 GMT). The liftoff of the $671 million spacecraft, followed by a successful ... more |  |
The Overprotection of Mars? Moffett Field CA (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - A recent commentary paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience argues that planetary protection policies and practices designed to guard solar system bodies from biological contamination from spacecraft need to be re-evaluated because they are "unnecessarily inhibiting" a more ambitious agenda to search for life on Mars. In the paper, called The Overprotection of Mars, co-authors Alb ... more |  |
Researchers develop algorithm to identify individual grains of Mars soil Baton Rouge LA (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - Researchers develop algorithm to identify individual grains in planetary regolith. Instruments on the Curiosity Mars rover not only measure the chemistry of rocks, elemental abundances of soils and wind speeds, but also take an incredible number of images from both mast-mounted cameras and up-close imaging systems mounted to robotic arms. The process of analyzing soil images can be dauntin ... more |  |
The Plan for Inspiration Mars Bethesda MD (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - Earlier this year Dennis Wingo wrote a very interesting piece for SpaceRef.com (http://spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1700) on Dennis Tito's announced plan to send two space passengers on a commercial flyby of Mars in 2018. Mr. Tito has created the Inspiration Mars Foundation which he appears to be personally funding. Although the plan is still evolving, it is clearly inspirational and ... more |  |
Evidence found for granite on Mars Atlanta GA (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - Researchers now have stronger evidence of granite on Mars and a new theory for how the granite - an igneous rock common on Earth - could have formed there, according to a new study. The findings suggest a much more geologically complex Mars than previously believed. Large amounts of a mineral found in granite, known as feldspar, were found in an ancient Martian volcano. Further, minerals ... more |  |
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Lockheed Martin-Built MAVEN Launches To Mars Cape Canaveral AFS FL (SPX) Nov 18, 2013 - NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, was launched Monday at 1:28 pm ET from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-401 rocket. The spacecraft has departed Earth and is now on its way to Mars, where it will study the planet's upper atmosphere. MAVEN separated from the rocket's Centaur upper stage ... more |  |
Variation of halogens in martian soil calls for an atmosphere-surface cycle Baton Rouge LA (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - In the November issue of Icarus, researchers from LSU's Department of Geology and Geophysics and Stony Brook's Department of Geosciences assess the details of halogen variability and an unusual process that may influence it. The group, led by LSU's Suniti Karunatillake, investigated the potential for an existing halogen cycle on Mars, which would alter the current paradigm of halogens dist ... more |  |
LeVar Burton Shares MAVEN's Story in a New NASA PSA Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Nov 18, 2013 - As NASA prepares for next week's launch of the agency's next Mars-bound spacecraft, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN), actor LeVar Burton shares the excitement of the mission in a new NASA public service announcement (PSA). The video, containing newly edited NASA's animations, will be used at events around the country and shared on the web and social media. The goal is to ... more |  |
Mars Rover Teams Dub Sites in Memory of Bruce Murray Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 18, 2013 - Features on Mars important to the missions of NASA's two active Mars rovers are now called "Murray Ridge" and "Murray Buttes," in honor of influential planetary scientist Bruce Murray (1931-2013). The rover Opportunity, which has been roaming Mars for nearly a decade, is currently climbing Murray Ridge, part of an uplifted crater rim. NASA's newer rover, Curiosity, is headed toward Murray ... more |  |
NASA poised to launch Mars atmosphere probe Washington (AFP) Nov 16, 2013 - What happened to the water on Mars? How did the Red Planet's atmosphere become so thin over time? NASA's MAVEN probe is scheduled to launch Monday on a mission to find out. The unmanned spacecraft aims to orbit Mars from a high altitude, studying its atmosphere for clues on how the Sun may have influenced gas to escape from the possibly life-bearing planet billions of years ago. The prob ... more |  |
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Martian moon samples will have bits of Mars Providence RI (SPX) Nov 13, 2013 - A planned mission to return a sample from the Martian moon Phobos will likely be a twofer, according to a study by Brown University geologists. The study helps to confirm the idea that the surface of Phobos contains tons of dust, soil, and rock blown off the Martian surface by large projectile impacts. Phobos' orbital path plows through occasional plumes of Martian debris, meaning the tiny ... more |  |
NASA release 'tour' of ancient, wet Mars as YouTube video Greenbelt, Md. (UPI) Nov 13, 2013 - NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has release a YouTube video it says shows how Mars may have looked 4 billion years ago. When the Red Planet was young, it appears to have had a thick atmosphere that was warm enough to support oceans of liquid water - a critical ingredient for life - and the YouTube video shows how the planet could have appeared at the time, the space agency said Wed ... more |  |
Curiosity Out of Safe Mode Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 13, 2013 - NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project received confirmation from Mars Sunday (Nov. 10) that the Curiosity rover has successfully transitioned back into nominal surface operations mode. Curiosity had been in safe mode since Nov. 7, when an unexpected software reboot (also known as a warm reset) occurred during a communications pass with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Mission science plan ... more |  |
MAVEN Aims To Answer Where Did the Water on Mars Go Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 13, 2013 - The planet Mars, with its rust red countenance and barren character, presents itself as an object of mystery and intrigue. It is also a catalyst for ongoing scientific inquiry. Previous space probes have revealed valleys, channels and ocean beds marking the Martian surface, suggesting the presence of abundant flowing water in earlier times. Such tantalizing clues give way to the obvi ... more | |
Mission to Mars moon could be a sample-return twofer Providence RI (SPX) Nov 13, 2013 - The study helps to confirm the idea that the surface of Phobos contains tons of dust, soil, and rock blown off the Martian surface by large projectile impacts. Phobos' orbital path plows through occasional plumes of Martian debris, meaning the tiny moon has been gathering Martian castoffs for millions of years. That means a sample-return mission planned by the Russian space agency could sample t ... more |  |
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Indian Mars mission suffers glitch but 'no setback' New Delhi (AFP) Nov 11, 2013 - India's Mars spacecraft suffered a brief engine failure Monday as scientists tried to move it into a higher orbit around Earth, but controllers denied any setback to the ambitious low-cost mission. The Mars Orbiter Mission, which blasted off on November 5 for a 11-month trip to the Red Planet, is being launched on its way via an unusual "slingshot" method for interplanetary journeys. Lac ... more |  |
 NASA says new deep space vehicle on time for 2014 test Washington (AFP) Nov 12, 2013 - The first test mission of a new deep space capsule that could one day take humans to Mars is on track for September 2014, the US space agency said Tuesday. Orion aims to replace US capacity to reach space - which ended with the retirement of the space shuttle program closed in 2011 after 30 years - and ferry astronauts farther in the solar system than ever before. Bill Gerstenmaier, NA ... more |  |
India Mars mission back on track after engine glitch: scientists New Delhi (AFP) Nov 12, 2013 - India's Mars spacecraft was "successfully" raised into a higher orbit around Earth early on Tuesday, after a brief engine failure during an earlier attempt, the space agency said. The Mars Orbiter Mission, which blasted off on November 5 for a 11-month trip to the Red Planet, is being launched on its way via an unusual "slingshot" method for interplanetary journeys. Lacking a large enoug ... more | |
Proposed sample-collecting mission to Mars moon could be a 'twofer' Providence, R.I. (UPI) Nov 11, 2013 - A sample-return mission planned by Russia to Mars' moon Phobos could sample two celestial bodies for the price of one, a U.S. study suggests. A study by Brown University confirms a suggestion that the surface of Phobos contains tons of dust, soil and rock blown off Mars' surface by large projectile impacts, and collected by the moon as its orbital path passed through occasional plumes o ... more |  |
ExoMars Lander Module Named Schiaparelli Paris (ESA) Nov 11, 2013 - The entry, descent and landing demonstrator module that will fly on the 2016 ExoMars mission has been named "Schiaparelli" in honour of the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, who famously mapped the Red Planet's surface features in the 19th century. ExoMars is a joint endeavour between ESA and Russia's Roscosmos space agency, and comprises two missions that will be launched to Mars ... more |  |
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