Mars

Mars might be a harsh landscape, but that won't stop us from roving, probing, exploring, and (maybe one day) colonizing the Red Planet. This is the latest on our cold, dusty, and suffocating neighbor.

Latest in Mars

A photomosaic taken by the Curiosity Rover on April 30, 2023 at the Ubajara drill site in Gale Crater, Mars. Rock powder samples drilled here contained substantial amounts of siderite (an iron carbonate mineral). The siderite played a role in ancient carbon cycling processes that impacted conditions at the planet’s surface. Rover tracks in the foreground are 40 cm wide. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Science

Curiosity rover finds key ingredient for past life on Mars

By Andrew Paul

Jared Isaacman speaking at congressional hearing
Science

NASA nominee: ‘We will prioritize sending astronauts to Mars’

By Andrew Paul

Martian landscape taken by NASA rover
Science

Toxic dust on Mars could make astronauts sick

By Andrew Paul

Mars Curiosity rover selfie picture against Martian background
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Curiosity finds largest-ever organic molecules on Mars

By Andrew Paul

The full disc of Mars is seen with the polar ice caps slightly off centre to the top left and bottom right. Clouds wrap around the planet’s curved horizons. Dark surface markings are clearly seen against the characteristic red tones of the dusty martian surface.
Science

Why is Mars red? Our old understanding might be wrong.

By Laura Baisas

Aerial view of Utopia Planitia region of Mars
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New evidence suggests Mars once had ‘vacation-style beaches’

By Andrew Paul

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured these drifting noctilucent, or twilight, clouds in a 16-minute recording on Jan. 17. (This looping clip has been speeded up about 480 times.) The white plumes falling out of the clouds are carbon dioxide ice that would evaporate closer to the Martian surface.
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Curiosity rover spots rare shimmering clouds above Mars

By Andrew Paul

Mars rover prototype in simulated Martian environment with alloy wheels
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NASA teases bendable titanium wheels on future Mars rovers

By Andrew Paul

The first image depicts star cluster NGC 602 in vibrant and festive colors. The cluster includes a giant dust cloud ring, shown in greens, yellows, blues, and oranges. The green hues and feathery edges of the ring cloud create the appearance of a wreath made of evergreen boughs. Hints of red representing X-rays provide shading, highlighting layers within the wreath-like ring cloud. The image is aglow with specks and dots of colorful, festive light, in blues, golds, whites, oranges, and reds. These lights represent stars within the cluster. Some of the lights gleam with diffraction spikes, while others emit a warm, diffuse glow. Upon closer inspection, many of the glowing specks have spiraling arms, indicating that they are, in fact, distant galaxies.
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Happy holidays from space!

By Laura Baisas

Martian landscape photo taken by Mars rover
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Researchers propose building homes on Mars with human blood

By Andrew Paul

This image of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument of the Perseverance rover on June 15, 2021, the 114th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The location, "Airfield D" (the fourth airfield), is just east of the "Séítah" geologic unit.
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NASA is finishing its first off-world accident report

By Andrew Paul

a black meteorite on display at a musuem
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4-billion-year-old mineral offers clues about Mars’ steaming hot past

By Laura Baisas

Lafayette-Meteorite
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Meteorite found in a drawer in 1929 contains ancient evidence of liquid water on Mars

By Andrew Paul

Phobos passing across Sun as seen by Perseverance rover on Mars
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Googly-eyed potato eclipse filmed by NASA’s Perseverance rover

By Andrew Paul

mars the planet
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NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s

By Joel S. Levine / The Conversation

Martian meteorite
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Just 5 impacts on Mars sent hundreds of meteorites to Earth

By Andrew Paul

Odyssey’s THEMIS view the horizon of Mars.
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Ultrasonic tools could one day track wind speeds on Mars

By Tom Hawking

NASA's InSight Mars lander acquired this image of the area in front of the lander using its lander-mounted, Instrument Context Camera (ICC).
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NASA data suggests there’s liquid water deep beneath Mars’ surface

By Tom Hawking

Illustration of two astronauts on Mars
Mars

Scientists think atmospheric ‘glitter’ can warm Mars over 50 degrees

By Andrew Paul

Martian landscape simulation room in CHAPEA Mars Dune Alpha
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What it was like to spend a year in NASA’s Mars base simulation

By Andrew Paul