Tag: Mars

Why ‘Martian’ Tanya Harrison loves everything about the Red Planet

Tanya Harrison has been fascinated by space since she was 5 and now works on rocks and robots on Mars. But her hobby is about as far from space as you can get Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24232292-200-why-martian-tanya-harrison-loves-everything-about-the-red-planet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Researchers find water in samples from asteroid

Researchers have discovered water in tiny dust particles from asteroid Itokawa. Japan’s Hayabusa spacecraft brought the asteroid dust to Earth in 2010. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/researchers-find-water-samples-asteroid-itokawa…

Young moon and Mars after sunset May 6, 7, 8

On May 6, 7 and 8, 2019, watch for the young crescent moon to pass by the planet Mars. Just don’t mistake the star Elnath for Mars. Elnath is the 2nd-brightest star in Taurus the Bull. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/young-moon-mars-after-sunset-may-6-8…

Today in science: 1st American in space

Alan Shepard became the 1st American in space on May 5, 1961. His suborbital flight took place just 3 weeks after the Soviet Union’s Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth once. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/alan-shepard-first-american-in-space-may-5-1961…

New moon is May 4

You can’t see a new moon; it’s between the Earth and sun and crosses the sky with the sun throughout the day. Will you see the returning young crescent moon in the west after sunset May 5? Maybe, with effort. The young moon will sweep past Mars around May 6 to 8. Source: https://earthsky.org/moon-phases/new-moon…

Building better life support systems for future space travel

Astronauts on future long-duration spaceflight missions to the Moon and Mars could rely on microalgae to supply essentials including food, water and oxygen. A new investigation aboard the International Space Station tests using the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris as a biological component of a hybrid life support system (LSS). Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-05-life-future-space.html…

State-of-the-art imaging uncovers the exciting life history of an unusual Mars meteorite

With human and sample-return missions to Mars still on the drawing board, geologists wishing to study the red planet rely on robotic helpers to collect and analyse samples. Earlier this year we said goodbye to NASA’s Opportunity rover, but Insight landed in November 2018, and several space agencies have Mars rover missions on their books for the next few years. But…