Newswise Breaking News Channel: Mars

ChemCam fires its laser for the millionth time on Mars

Los Alamos National Laboratory — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:05:01 EST

The ChemCam instrument, developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, recently zapped its laser for the 1 millionth time on Mars. Sitting on top of NASA's Curiosity rover, ChemCam has been helping make groundbreaking discoveries since 2012.

Supporting the Future of Mars Exploration with Supercomputers

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 10:05:57 EST

You may have flown a flight simulator in a computer game or at a science museum. Landing without crashing is always the hardest part. But that's nothing compared to the challenge that engineers are facing to develop a flight simulation of the very large vehicles necessary for humans to explore the surface of Mars. The Red Planet poses innumerable challenges to astronauts, not the least of which is getting there. That's where the Department of Energy Office of Science's user facility supercomputers come in. Researchers at DOE's Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) are working with NASA engineers and scientists to simulate the process of slowing down a huge spacecraft as it moves towards Mars' surface.

NASA uses ORNL supercomputers to plan smooth landing on Mars

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:05:51 EST

Since 2019, a team of NASA scientists and their partners have been using NASA's FUN3D software on supercomputers located at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, or OLCF, to conduct computational fluid dynamics, or CFD, simulations of a human-scale Mars lander. The team's ongoing research project is a first step in determining how to safely land a vehicle with humans onboard onto the surface of Mars.

Three years later, search for life on Mars continues

University of Cincinnati — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:05:07 EST

In the three years since NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on Mars, the NASA science team has made the daily task of investigating the red planet seem almost mundane.

Atmospheric pressure changes could be driving Mars' elusive methane pulses

Los Alamos National Laboratory — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:05:23 EST

New research shows that atmospheric pressure fluctuations that pull gases up from underground could be responsible for releasing subsurface methane into Mars' atmosphere; knowing when and where to look for methane can help the Curiosity rover search for signs of life.

Potential solvents identified for building on moon and Mars

Washington State University — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 10:05:10 EST

Researchers have taken the first steps toward finding liquid solvents that may someday help extract critical building materials from lunar and Martian-rock dust, an important piece in making long-term space travel possible.

Mars: new evidence of an environment conducive to the emergence of life

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 15:15:07 EST

The surface of Mars, unlike the Earth's, is not constantly renewed by plate tectonics. This has resulted in the preservation of huge areas of terrain remarkable for their abundance in fossil rivers and lakes dating back billions of years.

New research points to possible seasonal climate patterns on early Mars

Los Alamos National Laboratory — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 12:05:54 EST

New observations of mud cracks made by the Curiosity Rover show that high-frequency, wet-dry cycling occurred in early Martian surface environments, indicating that the red planet may have once seen seasonal weather patterns or even flash floods.

New study reveals evidence of diverse organic material on Mars

University of Florida — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 11:10:01 EST

A new study featuring data from the NASA Mars Perseverance rover reports on an instrumental detection potentially consistent with organic molecules on the Martian surface, hinting toward past habitability of the Red Planet.

Martian meteorites could provide clues about life on the planet

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory - EMSL — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 07:00:20 EST

EMSL user Kim Tait is using Martian meteorites to determine if the necessary ingredients for life once existed on Mars. Tait explains how these findings could teach us about evolution of life on our own planet.

Gullies on Mars could have been formed by recent periods of liquid meltwater, study suggests

Brown University — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 17:20:19 EST

A study led by Brown University researchers offers new insights into how water from melting ice could have played a recent role in the formation of ravine-like channels that cut down the sides of impact craters on Mars.

Using photosynthesis for Martian occupation - while making space travel more sustainable

University of Warwick — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 17:55:57 EST

In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists assess a new technique which could convert renewable, green energy from outside the Earth's atmosphere. They are taking advantage of photosynthesis - the chemical process plants undergo every day to create energy - to help the space industry become more sustainable.

UAH doctoral candidate designs rotating detonation engine aimed to boost lunar and Mars missions

University of Alabama Huntsville — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 12:25:53 EST

Michaela Hemming, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), is using a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) fellowship to make advances in propulsion under the guidance of NASA engineers.Hemming has designed a small-scale rotating detonation engine (RDE) manufactured by NASA as part of a joint research effort.

Pioneering research sheds new light on the origins and composition of planet Mars

University of Bristol — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:00:00 EST

A new study has uncovered intriguing insights into the liquid core at the centre of Mars, furthering understanding of the planet's formation and evolution.

TRANSCRIPT AND VIDEO AVAILABLE Live Event for April 21: Sleeping pill reduces levels of Alzheimer's proteins

Newswise — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:10:43 EST

Researcher will discuss the study which involved a sleeping aid known as suvorexant that is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia, hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

NASA selects NAU researcher for international mission to Martian moons

Northern Arizona University — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 12:25:17 EST

A planetary scientist at NAU is part of a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission to travel to Mars and survey the planet's two moons, including collecting a sample from one and returning it to Earth.

From Atoms to Earthquakes to Mars: High Performance Computing a Swiss Army Knife for Modeling and Simulation

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 11:10:43 EST

At Idaho National Laboratory, computational scientists use INL's supercomputers to perform "virtual experiments" to accomplish research that couldn't be done by conventional means. While supercomputing can't replace traditional experiments, supercomputing is an essential component of all modern scientific discoveries and advancements.

Solid‒gas carbonate formation during dust events on Mars

Science China Press — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:30:24 EST

A joint research team led by Dr. Xiaohui Fu and Dr. Zhongchen Wu from Shandong University, China, proposed a new carbonate formation mechanism in Martian dust activities based on simulation experimental studies.

Better tools needed to determine ancient life on Mars

Cornell University — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 11:45:05 EST

Current state-of-the-art instrumentation being sent to Mars to collect and analyze evidence of life might not be sensitive enough to make accurate assessments, according to a research team co-led by a Cornell University astronomer.

Study quantifies global impact of electricity in dust storms on Mars

Washington University in St. Louis — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 16:15:37 EST

Mars is infamous for its intense dust storms, some of which kick up enough dust to be seen by telescopes on Earth. When dust particles rub against each other, they can become electrified. New research shows that this electrical discharge could be the major driving force of Martian chlorine cycle.