Tag: rovers

Electrically charged dust storms drive Martian chlorine cycle

How’s the weather on Mars? Tough on rovers, but very good for generating and moving highly reactive chlorine compounds. New research from Washington University in St. Louis planetary scientists shows that Martian dust storms, like the one that eventually shut down the Opportunity rover, drive the cycle of chlorine from surface to atmosphere and may shed light on the potential for…

A famous Mars meteorite, now with nitrogen

For the first time, nitrogen-containing organic molecules have been discovered in a Martian meteorite. The famous meteorite – Allan Hills 84001 – was picked up in Antarctica in 1984. The discovery provides more clues about habitable conditions on early Mars. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-meteorite-alh-84001-1st-discovery-fixed-nitrogen…

Will Dragonfly find dust devils on Titan?

Earth and Mars both are known to have swirling dust devils moving along their surfaces. Saturn’s large moon Titan might have them, too, according to a new study. If so, NASA’s planned Dragonfly mission will be able to find them. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/saturn-moon-titan-dust-devils-dragonfly…

I’m a space archaeologist studying junk strewn across the solar system

From vintage satellites to lunar rovers, space archaeologist Alice Gorman is teasing out a unique history of humanity from the objects we’ve dispatched from Earth Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24632801-800-im-a-space-archaeologist-studying-junk-strewn-across-the-solar-system/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

What’s cool about Curiosity’s discovery of organic molecules on Mars

The Curiosity rover has found organic molecules called thiophenes, which, on Earth, are associated with biological systems. Are they evidence for once-living microbes on Mars? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/thiophenes-organic-molecules-curiosity-rover-mars-life…

Help NASA Choose the Name For Its Next Mars Rover

Slashdot reader DevNull127 writes: NASA will launch a new rover to Mars this July — and 28,000 American schoolchildren wrote essays with suggestions for what NASA should name it. NASA has now selected the top nine finalists, which they’ll let the public vote on through Monday on a special web page where they’re also displaying the schoolchildren’s essays. “Scientists are tenacious,”…