Micro organisms from our planet could survive on celestial bodies where water is present, such as Mars. That is the conclusion of PhD candidate Tommaso Zaccaria after experiments with simulated […]
DLR
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return
Innovative Mars Rovers Swim Through The Sand
Some animals can move efficiently beneath granular surfaces. These include the sandfish (Scincus scincus), a lizard native to the Sahara: it can burrow into the sand and then literally ‘swim’ […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Volcanic Ash Creeps Across Mars – The View From Orbit
Noticeable change on Mars often takes millions of years – but the European Space Agency’s Mars Express has captured a blanket of dark ash creeping across the planet in just […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release
Raging Winds On Mars
Despite the very thin Martian atmosphere, there are also winds on Mars that are central to the climate and the distribution of dust.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, PLATO, Press Release
PLATO Space Telescope’s Cameras Have Been Integrated
Are there planets similar to Earth? Do they orbit stars like our Sun? How do planetary systems form and evolve? To answer these and other questions, the European Space Agency […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Press Release
Mars’s Northern Ice Cap Is Young With A Cold, Stiff Mantle Beneath
To understand the properties of the rocky mantle beneath Earth’s continents, researchers use a little geophysical trick: they measure how fast large areas of land, once covered by kilometres of […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors
Away Team Tech: Testing Rovers In Lava Tubes For Future Space Exploration
What does an ancient lava tube in the Canary Islands have in common with space exploration? For our robotics teams, it turns out, quite a lot.
Posted inCaves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Lake Eridania On Mars
Mars once hosted a lake larger than any on Earth. The broken-down and dried-up remnants of this ancient lakebed are shown here in amazing detail by ESA’s Mars Express. This […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Courses, Exploration Gear & Tech, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
ESA CAVES OffWorld Away Team Training: Astronauts Exploring Underground
Astronauts from five space agencies around the world take part in ESA’s CAVES training course– Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills.
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release
Water Frost Detected On The Tharsis Volcanoes On Mars
An international team of planetary scientists has detected patches of water frost sitting atop the Tharsis volcanoes on Mars, which are not only the tallest volcanic mountains on the Red […]