Mars

February 3, 2023

The Challenges of Relying Solely on a Single SpaceX Starship for a Journey to Mars

From the outset, it was evident that relying solely on a single SpaceX Starship was not a feasible option for a journey to Mars. The challenges of traversing beyond Earth’s orbit, which

Space

Take a Virtual Tour of Jezero Crater on Mars with the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) has developed a virtual flight over Jezero Crater on Mars, enabling people to travel to space from the comfort of their homes. The 3D animated video created by ESA uses computer simulations from data collected

March 27, 2023

InSight Lander Strikes Gold: Detecting Quakes on Mars Reveals Key Insights into the Planet’s Core

Science·Space

NASA’s InSight Mars lander recently found two quakes on Mars surface that helped scientists figure the planet’s core. They discovered that the core of

Mars Rover Milestone: Curiosity Receives Enhanced Software Upgrade After a Decade of Exploration

Space·Technology

Curiosity rover receives its first major software update, which has been exploring Mars for over a decade. 180 changes are in the update that

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of its 26th collected rock sample, “Silver Mountain,” using its onboard Sample Caching System Camera (CacheCam), located inside the rover underbelly. It looks down into the top of a sample tube to take close-up pictures of the sampled material and the tube as it’s prepared for sealing and storage. This image was acquired on Jan. 28, 2025 — sol 1401, or Martian day 1,401 of the Mars 2020 mission — at the local mean solar time of 18:49:01. NASA/JPL-Caltech Photo Source : NASA

Space

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds 4-Billion-Year-Old ‘Silver Mountain’ Rock on Mars

A rock the size of a grape has caught the attention of NASA scientists exploring Mars. The Perseverance rover, NASA’s car-sized robot currently driving across the Red Planet, found this special sample

Govind Tekale

February 12, 2025

These Martian dunes in Mars' northern hemisphere were captured from above by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on Sept. 8, 2022. Scientists use such images to track the amount of frost that settles on the landforms and then disappears as the weather warms in spring. Martian dunes migrate just like dunes on Earth, with wind blowing away sand on one side of the dune and building up on another. Recent research has shown that winter frost stops the movement of sand grains, locking the dunes in place until the spring thaw. The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Photo Source - NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astronomy·Space

Mars’ Frozen Dunes: NASA Finds Ice-Covered Sand Shaped Like Kidney Beans

NASA’s spacecraft has found something unusual on Mars- sand dunes frozen in place, shaped like kidney beans. They aren’t moving like dunes on Earth because they’re covered in a layer of ice.

Karmactive Staff

January 21, 2025

Representative Image. Meteor shower in Estonia in 2016. Photo Source: Kristian Pikner (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Astronomy

2025’s Celestial Calendar: Mars Opposition, Meteor Showers, Supermoon, Eclipses & Rare Planet Alignments

The astronomical calendar for 2025 presents a complex array of celestial events, each demanding specific observational conditions and timing. Based on decades of astronomical records, these events require careful planning for optimal

Rahul Somvanshi

January 5, 2025

Representative Image. NASA Mars Rover. Photo Soruce: NASA/JPL/Cornell University, Maas Digital LLC

Astronomy·Space

Mars Rover Uncovers Organic Compounds in ‘Leopard-Spotted’ Rock, Suggesting Ancient Life

Scientists have found exciting clues about life on Mars. Recent findings point to places deep under the planet’s surface where life might exist. NASA’s Perseverance rover found organic compounds in a Mars

Govind Tekale

January 3, 2025

Martian spring involves lots of cracking ice, which led to this 66-foot-wide (20-meter-wide) chunk of carbon dioxide frost captured in freefall by the HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2015 NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Astronomy·Space

Mars’ South Pole: 8-Meter CO₂ Ice, -193°F Patterns, Geysers, 66-Foot Avalanches, and Dune Shifts

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express orbiter has captured images of carbon dioxide ice formations at Mars’ south pole, revealing complex seasonal patterns at -193°F (-125°C). These observations, made in June

Rahul Somvanshi

December 30, 2024

Representative Image. Mars exploration sol 383. Photo Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Thomas Thomopoulos

Astronomy·Space·USA

CIA Mars Report: Remote Viewing Ancient Pyramids

The CIA’s “Mars Exploration May 22, 1984” report, declassified in 2017, details remote viewing sessions claiming to observe Mars from one million years ago. Project Stargate, operating from Fort Meade, Maryland (1977-1995),

Karmactive Team

December 27, 2024

Caption:At left: Steel is seen to corrode into siderite (FeCO3) when immersed in subcritical liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2). At right: Samples of albite (a plagioclase feldspar) and a sandstone core are observed to form red rhodochrosite (MnCO3) when exposed to supercritical CO2 in the presence of a water solution with potassium chloride and manganese chloride, with particularly strong reaction near the interface of the two solutions. In both experiments, water saturation is provided by floating LCO2 on the water. Under the lower pressure conditions characteristic of early Mars, the water would float on the LCO2. Credits:Photos courtesy of Todd Schaef/PNNL (left) and Earl Mattson/Mattson Hydrology (right).

Astronomy·Space

Liquid CO₂ May Have Shaped Mars’ Ancient Terrain, Not Just Water, Study Suggests

A new study published in Nature Geoscience proposes that liquid carbon dioxide, alongside water, may have shaped Mars’ ancient surface features and mineral composition. The perspective article, led by Michael Hecht, principal

Rahul Somvanshi

December 21, 2024

Space·Technology

Elon Musk Plans Mars-Bound Starship Missions by 2026 as SpaceX Tests Reusability and Radiation Shields

Elon Musk plans to send uncrewed Starships to Mars by 2026, following the sixth test flight from Boca Chica, Texas. The mission achieved partial success with upper stage engine ignition in space,

Karmactive Team

November 25, 2024

These yellow crystals were revealed after NASA’s Curiosity happened to drive over a rock and crack it open on May 30. Using an instrument on the rover’s arm, scientists later determined these crystals are elemental sulfur — and it’s the first time this kind of sulfur has been found on the Red Planet.

Space

Elemental Surprise on Mars: NASA’s Curiosity Rover Discovers Pure Sulfur Crystals, Challenging Previous Geological Theories

NASA’s Curiosity rover has made an unexpected discovery on Mars: pure sulfur crystals. This first-of-its-kind finding on the Red Planet occurred on May 30 when the rover accidentally crushed a rock, revealing

Rahul Somvanshi

July 20, 2024

Science·Space

Whispers of a Wet Mars: Perseverance’s Quest for Extraterrestrial Existence

In our cosmic neighborhood, the fourth rock from the Sun, Mars, exudes an arid, desolate vibe. Recent revelations by NASA’s indomitable Perseverance rover, however, suggest an intriguing wet past. The rover’s latest

Rahul Somvanshi

July 25, 2023

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