Tag: Mars
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Was the Red Planet Once Blue? New Evidence Points to an Ancient Ocean on Mars
The Case for a Martian Ocean For decades, scientists have puzzled over Mars’s pale blue — or more accurately, pale red — past. Recent analyses of Martian rocks, valley networks, and ancient shorelines point to a once wetter climate that could have hosted a standing body of water. The emerging picture is not a single…
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NASA to Reopen Contact with Silent MAVEN Mars Orbiter After Communication Blackout
NASA to Reopen Contact with Silent MAVEN Mars Orbiter After Communication Blackout After a planned two-week communication blackout, NASA is set to attempt contact with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, or MAVEN, which has been silent for more than a month. The agency’s ground teams will try to re-establish two-way communication with the…
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NASA to Re-Establish Contact with Silent MAVEN Mars Orbiter
NASA Reaches Out After a Month of Silence from MAVEN NASA is preparing to attempt communication with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, known as MAVEN, after a planned two-week blackout extended into weeks of silence. The orbiter, which has been studying the Martian atmosphere and climate since its arrival in 2014, briefly halted…
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NASA Reaches for MAVEN: Coordinated Rescue Attempt to Reestablish Contact with Silent Mars Orbiter
NASA Trails Silence, Seeks to Reestablish MAVEN’s Mars Link After a planned two-week communications blackout that stretched into a month, NASA is preparing to listen for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, or MAVEN, which abruptly went silent more than four weeks ago. The agency has outlined a renewed contact strategy aimed at reestablishing…
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How Mars’ ancient lakes grew shields of ice to stay warm as the Red Planet froze
Introduction: A paradox of a once-warm Mars Long before Mars became the cold, desert world we know today, evidence points to lakes that could have hosted liquid water on the planet’s surface. The latest studies explore a remarkable idea: thin lids of ice may have acted like natural shields, insulating ancient lakes long enough for…
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Mars’ Ice-Covered Lakes: How Thin Ice Lids Kept Ancient Water Warm
Introduction: A paradox in Martian history For years, scientists have wondered how ancient Mars could host lakes and flowing water when the planet’s climate seemed to trend toward freezing. New research suggests a clever solution: thin lids of ice forming over lakes that shielded surface water, allowing liquid environments to persist even as the surrounding…
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Mars’ Ancient Lakes Hid Under Ice to Stay Warm Longer
Introduction: A New Look at Martian Water For decades, scientists have puzzled over how water persisted on the surface of ancient Mars as the climate grew progressively harsher. A compelling new interpretation suggests that thin lids of ice could have formed above ancient lakes, insulating surface water and keeping it liquid long after the planet…
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Experts Push Back Against Cancellation of NASA’s Mars Sample Return Project
Background: What is the Mars Sample Return plan? The Mars Sample Return (MSR) initiative—a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA)—aims to fetch, study, and bring Martian samples back to Earth. The project promises unprecedented insights into Mars’ geology, potential past life, and the planet’s broader history, with staged missions designed to minimize…
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Experts Push Back on NASA Mars Sample Return Cancellation
Background: What Would Be Lost with a Cancellation The Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, a joint effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), has long been positioned as a pivotal step in expanding human understanding of the Red Planet. The initiative aims to collect Martian rock and soil samples and bring them back…
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Mars and Venus Converge Over the Beehive: A Southern Hemisphere Night-Sky Treat
Introduction: A celestial coincidence for southern skywatchers On a clear January night in 2026, observers in the Southern Hemisphere were treated to a striking planetary dance. Mars and Venus, two of the solar system’s most recognizable planets, aligned near the Beehive cluster (M44) in Cancer, creating a bright, close-approach sight that sky enthusiasts won’t soon…