Freeing Spirit November 16, 2009
Posted by fhsukams in Science & Math Info.Tags: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mars, mars rover, NASA
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Artist's rendering of Mars rover. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Starting today, NASA will try to free Spirit, the Mars rover which has been stuck for months on a sandpit on Mars. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory tested a variety of methods for freeing Spirit, but the JPL is not optimistic that they will be able to free the rover. Constrained by the geographic of its location, NASA has decided that they have learned all they can from tests and it is time to see if Spirit can be freed. For more information, see CNET News.
Water Found on Mars & Moon September 25, 2009
Posted by fhsukams in Science & Math Info.Tags: Chandrayaan-1, Mars, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, moon, NASA
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In this image blue shows the signature of water, green shows the brightness of the surface as measured by reflected infrared radiation from the sun and red shows an iron-bearing mineral called pyroxene. Image Credit: ISRO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Brown Univ./USGS
Two different missions have found evidence of water on the moon and on Mars. These findings may make it easier for future human colonies at both locations. NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper, an instrument aboard the Indian Space Research Organization’s Chandrayaan-1 mission, detected small amounts of water on the surface of the moon.
Water ice surrounds this impact crater on Mars in this HiRISE picture, taken in November 2008. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Univ. of Ariz
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was able to find 99% pure water ice on the surface of Mars far away from the poles. This ice suggests that there are huge subsurface ice sheets on Mars extending from the poles halfway to the equator. The ice was spotted in debris from five recent meteorite strikes in the northern hemisphere of Mars. It took approximately 200 days to melt, which points to the water’s purity. For more information on these discoveries, see The Space Shot on CNet News.
Snowfall on Mars Similar to Arctic Snow July 31, 2009
Posted by fhsukams in Science & Math Info.Tags: Mars, NASA, Phoenix Lander
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Several of the trenches dug by Phoenix are displayed in this approximately true color mosaic of images from the lander's Surface Stereo Imager camera. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University
Four papers were recently published in Science on the history of water on Mars using data collected by NASA’s Phoenix Lander. Some of the discoveries discussed include: during Mar’s winter it snows frequently at night, the clouds there are similar to Earth’s cirrus clouds, a layer of ice lies 2-7 inches under the soil, liquid water helped shape the surface of Mars, and the snow falling on Mars is similar to the low-moisture ice crystals that fall in the Arctic called diamond dust.
What do these findings mean? They provide us with a very different picture of Mars than the view that scientists previously held. They give us a glimpse of Mar’s past where life potentially could have thrived. For more on these papers, see Science Daily.
NASA Testing Escape for Spirit this Week June 24, 2009
Posted by fhsukams in Science & Math Info.Tags: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mars, mars rover, NASA
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Artist's rendering of Mars rover. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is preparing a “sandbox” full of simulated Martian soil in order to test methods of escape for Spirit, the Mars rover that has been stuck since May. Engineers want to ensure that their escape methods will not simply make Spirit’s situation worse. So, the JPL engineers will test multiple variations of escape, searching for the one that will finally free Spirit. For more information on their plans and testing methods, see the New Scientist.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Back On-line June 10, 2009
Posted by fhsukams in Science & Math Info.Tags: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mars, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA
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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passes over the planet's south polar region in this artist's concept illustration. Phobos, one of Mars' two moons, appears in the upper left corner of the illustration. Credit: NASA/JPL/Corby Waste
Yesterday, June 9th, NASA successfully brought the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter back on-line from the standby mode it entered on June 3rd. The Orbiter is designed to go into standby mode to help protect it from damage. When the Orbiter doesn’t know how to respond to a situation, in this case a reboot of its main computer, it is designed to shut down and await instructions from NASA. Engineers are currently exploring the likely reasons for the malfunction. For more information on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter malfunction, see space.com.
Mars Rover Stuck May 12, 2009
Posted by fhsukams in Science & Math Info.Tags: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mars, mars rover, NASA
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Artist's rendering of Mars rover. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Spirit, one of the two Mars rovers, is stuck in loose dirt. A team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is working with a model of the rover here on earth trying to diagnose a solution. Team members are worried that Spirit could work itself further into the dirt, further complicating its extrication. Designed for a primary mission of 3 months, Spirit & its twin Opportunity have been collecting data from Mars since 2004.
Google Mars? April 6, 2009
Posted by fhsukams in Science & Math Info.Tags: google earth, Mars
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Mars. Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Bell (Cornell University), and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute, Boulder)
Did you know that you can explore Mars in Google Earth? While it might seem odd to have another planet to check out in Google Earth, Google has paired with NASA to offer this opportunity. You can search for famous landmarks on Mars like Olympus Mons or the Face on Mars. Check it out here. To access the Mars mode, download Google Earth and open it up. In the toolbar section on top, click on the small icon resembling the planet Saturn and select Mars.
Life on Mars? April 1, 2009
Posted by fhsukams in Science & Math Info.Tags: Astronomy, Biology, Mars
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The discovery of what could be mud volcanoes on Mars may point to life on Mars. Three gas plumes have recently been identified as sources of methane in Mars’ atmosphere. Since methane is known to be produced by microbes and bacteria, there could be life on Mars living just a few kilometres beneath the surface. There, it could be warm enough for liquid water to exist. For more information on Mars and the mud volcanoes, see here.
