Myths – A ‘doorway’ on Mars? How we see things in space that aren’t there
Enthusiasts lit up social media recently with images of what appeared to be a “doorway” into a hillside on Mars. Was it, some wondered, evidence that the red planet could be, or have been, inhabited by aliens? The “door” was imaged by Nasa’s Curiosity rover on May 7...
Behind the Scenes – How the Ukraine war cancelled the next Mars mission…
Our Mars rover mission was suspended because of the Ukraine war – here’s what we’re hoping for next Just a few months ago, we were confidently expecting to launch our rover, Rosalind Franklin, to Mars in September as part of the ExoMars mission, a collaboration between Europe and Russia. The...
Space missions to look forward to in 2022 – Asteroids, the Moon and Mars
Astronomers ended 2021 on a high with the launch on December 25 of the James Webb Space Telescope, a joint mission between the European Space Agency, Nasa and the Canadian Space Agency. It was a relief to hear that the precision drives that opened up the complex sunshield,...
New Research – Mars mission reveals surprising secrets of red planet’s interior
Mars InSight: mission unveils surprising secrets of red planet’s interior – new research We may have walked on the Moon and sent probes across the solar system, but we know very little about what’s going on inside other planets. Now, for the first time, we have been able to...
Why is there so little water left on Mars?
Mars is known for its thin atmosphere, where CO2 dominates and provides most of the atmospheric mass and pressure. In fact, the pressure is similar to that in the Earth’s stratosphere, which is a layer of the atmosphere, at more than 30km above the surface. But what about...
New Photos From the Surface of Mars
China has revealed a new series of photos of Mars from the Zhurong Mars rover. Announced by state-owned news outlet Xinhau the images came alongside a statement that their release "signifyi[es] the complete success of China’s first Mars exploration mission". While the tone is grandiose compared to how...