Mars rover – pressnews

Solar storm warning: NASA’s Mars rover snaps Sun turning, spies dangerous sunspot facing Earth

27Aug

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Technology

Solar storm warning: NASA’s Mars rover snaps Sun turning, spies dangerous sunspot facing Earth

[ad_1] In an intriguing celestial observation, NASA's Perseverance Rover on Mars has captured a striking view of a massive sunspot, signalling a region of heightened solar solar activity on the far side of the Sun. This sunspot is rotating to face the Earth and the likelihood of a solar storm has just increased manifold.Early Solar WarningAccording to a blog post on spaceweather.com, the unique positioning of Mars on the opposite side of the sun allows Perseverance to provide advanced notice of approaching sunspots, sometimes more than a week before they become visible from our planet. This early alert has been issued: A significant sunspot has been seen and a solar storm could be enroute. Mastcam-Z's Special SnapshotThe Mastcam-Z instrument on the Perseverance Rover was responsible for...

NASA’s Curiosity Rover sends breathtaking postcard from Mars

17Jun

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NASA’s Curiosity Rover sends breathtaking postcard from Mars

[ad_1] NASA's Curiosity Rover on Mars has unveiled a stunning postcard from the Red Planet, showcasing the diverse times of day on Mars. Following a major software update that improved the rover's driving speed and reduced wheel wear, Curiosity captured mesmerising images of the "Marker Band Valley" before moving on.According to NASA, the panoramic snapshots were taken on April 8, 2023, using black-and-white navigation cameras. To enhance the postcard's visual appeal, colours were later added, with blue representing the morning shots and yellow for those taken in the afternoon. The postcard not only captures the picturesque landscape but also features prominent Mars landmarks. Notably, it includes the "Marker Band Valley," where the rover made unexpected discoveries indicating an ancien...

Replica of NASA’s Mars Rover Opportunity lands in India

3Jun

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Replica of NASA’s Mars Rover Opportunity lands in India

[ad_1] Two decades ago, NASA launched Mars Rover Opportunity to search for signs of ancient water on the Red Planet. A full-scale replica of the space shuttle landed at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technical Museum (VITM) in Bengaluru on Thursday to inspire the next generation of scientific innovators and space explorers.The replica of Mars Rover Opportunity at VITM's Space Gallery was unveiled for public display on Thursday. US Consulate General Chennai tweeted, "Meet Oppy - a full-scale replica of @NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity built by @Cornell students. The exhibit is open to the public from June 1 at the @VISMuseum in Bengaluru. Oppy is here to symbolise #USIndiaTogether & inspire the next generation of space explorers and innovators." The full-scale model of the Mars Rover ...

China’s Mars Rover Fails to Wake Up After Choking on Red Planet’s Dust

26Apr

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China’s Mars Rover Fails to Wake Up After Choking on Red Planet’s Dust

[ad_1] China's first Mars rover hasn't woken up from a scheduled months-long hibernation on the surface of the Red Planet, a Chinese scientist confirmed Tuesday.The solar-powered Zhurong, named after an ancient Chinese god of fire, landed in May 2021, making China only the second nation after the US to succeed in landing such a probe on the Red Plant. The 240 kilogram (530 pound) vehicle is one of the most significant achievements in China's effort to challenge the US's dominance in space exploration. “Based on our analysis, the most likely possibility is that an unpredictable accumulation of dust from Mars led to a decrease in its ability to produce electricity, such that it's insufficient for it to wake up,” Zhang Rongqiao, the chief designer of the Mars exploration program, said in a...

NASA Perseverance rover camera captures stunning clouds on Mars

24Mar

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NASA Perseverance rover camera captures stunning clouds on Mars

[ad_1] NASA's Perseverance rover has been on a Mars exploratory mission for the last two years. Since its landing in February 2021, the Martian rover has not only captured breathtaking snapshots of the barren planet, but has also discovered the stunning structures and formations on the red planet. The Perseverance Rover has been collecting rock samples, analyzing the terrain, and hunting for evidence of previous microbial life on Mars. Now, the rover has made another stunning discovery by capturing drifting clouds in the Martian sky.The image was released by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory yesterday and it was captured by one of the navigation cameras aboard the Perseverance rover. The stunning clouds were captured just before sunrise on March 18, 2023, the 738th Martian day of the Mar...

There could be alien life on Mars, but will our rovers be able to find it?

23Feb

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There could be alien life on Mars, but will our rovers be able to find it?

[ad_1] Robotic rovers are currently exploring the surface of Mars. Part of a rover's mission is to survey the planet for signs of life. There might be nothing to find – but what if there is, and the rovers just can't “see” it?New research published today in Nature Communications suggests the rovers' current equipment might not actually be up to the task of finding evidence of life. As an extreme environment microbiologist, the challenges of searching for life where it seems near-impossible are familiar to me. In astrobiology, we study the diversity of life in sites on Earth with environmental or physical features that resemble regions already described on Mars. We call these terrestrial environments “Mars analogue” sites.Limits of detectionThe new research, led by Armando Azua-Bustos a...

Perseverance Mars Rover shares latest selfie; NASA asks people to find lightsab

26Jan

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Perseverance Mars Rover shares latest selfie; NASA asks people to find lightsab

[ad_1] NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover has shared a selfie on Twitter asking people if they can find the lightsab in the picture. NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover has been quite busy. However, after a busy schedule, the rover has now shared a selfie on its Twitter handle asking people to find lightsab (sample tubes) in the image. Sharing the image, it wrote, "If you've been following along, you know I've been busy in the last few weeks, setting down some very special items for possible return to Earth via #MarsSampleReturn. How many lightsab…I mean sample tubes can you spot in my latest selfie?"Following the question to find the tube, the Perseverance Mars Rover shared another image saying, "We've got some good sample hunters in the comments! Many can pick out two tubes fairly easily by ...

Surprise! NASA just found Opal gems on Mars

16Jan

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Surprise! NASA just found Opal gems on Mars

[ad_1] NASA's Curiosity Rover has found opal gems on Mars. NASA rovers on Mars have been looking for clues to water or any other source of life. Now, in a big surprise, NASA's Curiosity Rover, which has been exploring the surface of Mars, has found water-rich opal gems on the planet. "More than just a shimmering stone, opal — which is rich in water — has now been found in Mars' Gale Crater by NASA's Curiosity Rover," a report by space.com said. "In both older and newer Curiosity images, they (researchers) noticed fracture halos, rings of light-colored sediment, that stood out because of their color; further tests proved that the light rock was actually opal," the report further informed. Wondering why the discovery is important? Well, it may serve as an important...

Crazy find! NASA Rover snaps unusual Mars rock; can be a Meteorite

15Jan

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Crazy find! NASA Rover snaps unusual Mars rock; can be a Meteorite

[ad_1] NASA’s Mars rover detected an unusual rock on the Martian surface in the latest image. An expert suggested it can be a meteorite. NASA's Curiosity rover has found something that doesn't fit in on the Martian surface! Though, there have been many instances in the past when an unusual object on Mars left scientists excited and puzzled, but this time, the stone is no Martian mirage. The latest image taken by Mast Camera (Mastcam) onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 3706 on January 9, 2023, is puzzling scientists. It is an unusual little gray rock that doesn't match the martian surface. It could be a meteorite!Planetary geologist Catherine O'Connell-Cooper said that, "This is an unusual gray float rock which may be a remnant of material higher up Mount Sharp or may be a mete...

What does Mars sound like? Rover microphone has recorded the red planet’s dust devils

15Dec

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What does Mars sound like? Rover microphone has recorded the red planet’s dust devils

[ad_1] What does Mars sound like? Rover microphone has recorded the red planet’s dust devils A dust devil looks a bit like a tornado, but is weaker and rarely lasts more than about a minute.It is a twisting column of warmed air scooting across sun-heated ground, made visible by the dust that it lofts upwards. Although usually benign, occasionally dust devils can kill. Dust devils have been known to appear on Mars since the 1970s. They have been observed both from the ground and from orbit. The more dust in the Martian atmosphere, the warmer and more agitated it becomes, and this can escalate into a global dust storm.When the dust settles, it can coat and disable the solar panels that are essential for many of the instruments we've landed on the planet.There's a lot we don't know about...