Mars

UAE's 'Al Amal' (Hope) spacecraft has transmitted an image of Mars on February 14, just nearly a week after entering the red planet's orbit. Snapped from a distance of 25,000 kilometers, the picture was taken from Hope's camera named Emirates eXploration Imager (EXI). The yellowed semicircle image highlights Olympus Mons, the solar system's largest volcano, along with three other volcanoes in Tharsis region of Mars. The space mission intends … read-more

Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies has claimed that astronauts could get to Mars in just three-months using a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion rocket. Reportedly, the company aims to reduce NASA's targeted time-span of five to nine months for a one-way trip. NASA engineer Jeff Sheehy stated that NTP would "double the miles per hour" making two-way travel under two-years. However, the developers currently encounter numerous challenges, … read-more

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, traces of 'megaripples' or 'antidunes' from a megaflood, which has washed through Gale crater on Mars' equator have been discovered. As per NASA's curiosity rover, the ripples has suggested that the flood occurred from ice-melting due to heat generated by a meteoric impact. While comparisons are being drawn between Earth and Mars, scientists are convinced that Mars sustained life in… read-more

NASA on November 19 released a 60-second audio clip that was recorded by 'Perseverance' rover while travelling through interplanetary space. According to engineers, the humming sound was from the rover's heat rejection pump that was detected as mechanical vibrations through the rover. 'Perseverance', the first microphone-equipped object, is expected to land at Mars in February 2021. Besides, it will conduct experiments for one Martian year i.… read-more

NASA is all prepared to send its 'Mars Sample Return' mission to bring Mars rocks to Earth in a mission partnered by European Space Agency. While the enroute Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover will drill and collect samples, ESAs 'fetch' rover will deliver the samples to NASAs ‘MARS Ascent vehicle.’ Later the samples would be brought back by ESAs ‘Earth Return Orbiter’ in 2030. NASA said this will help them send humans on Mars.