Images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show sand dunes and ripples moving across the surface of Mars at dozens of locations and shifting up to several yards. These observations reveal the planet’s sandy surface is more dynamic than previously thought. “Mars either has more gusts of wind than we knew about before, or the winds are capable of transporting more sand,” said Nathan Bridges, planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., and lead author of a paper on the finding published online in the journal Geology. “We used to think of the sand on...
NASA Study of Clays ...
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A new NASA study suggests if life ever existed on Mars, the longest lasting habitats were most likely below the Red Planet’s surface. A new interpretation of years of mineral-mapping data, from more than 350 sites on Mars examined by European and NASA orbiters, suggests Martian...
Orbiter Resumes Use ...
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Operators of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are resuming use of the mission’s highest resolution camera following a second precautionary shutdown in two weeks. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument powered off on Aug. 27 and again on Sept. 6. In...
The Dirt on MarsR...
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The soil on Mars may be more capable of supporting life than previously thought, a new study suggests. Researchers have long suspected that the Martian surface is packed full of oxidizing compounds, which could make it difficult for complex molecules like organic chemicals — the building...
NASA Spacecraft Data...
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Observations from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed possible flowing water during the warmest months on Mars. “NASA’s Mars Exploration Program keeps bringing us closer to determining whether the Red Planet could harbor life in some form,” NASA...
NASA Orbiter Reveals...
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NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has discovered the total amount of atmosphere on Mars changes dramatically as the tilt of the planet’s axis varies. This process can affect the stability of liquid water, if it exists on the Martian surface, and increase the frequency and severity...
Dry ice find hints Mars was a wetter place: study
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NASA has discovered that the south pole of Mars is home to 30 times more dry ice than previously believed, suggesting that the red planet was once a much wetter place, said a study on Thursday. Taking data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, researchers found “large quantities of ancient atmospheric carbon dioxide may be trapped in the solid chunks of dry ice,” said the study published in the journal Science. “The results add to a growing pile of evidence suggesting that long ago, ancient Mars had a thicker, carbon dioxide-filled atmosphere and flowing bodies of water,” said the study. The dry ice reservoir is...
Prolific NASA Orbite...
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NASA’s versatile Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which began orbiting Mars five years ago tomorrow, March 10, has radically expanded our knowledge of the Red Planet and is now working overtime.The mission has provided copious information about ancient environments, ice-age-scale climate...
Some Of Mars’ ...
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Rocks on Mars dug from far underground by crater-blasting impacts are providing glimpses of one possible way Mars’ atmosphere has become much less dense than it used to be.At several places where cratering has exposed material from depths of about 5 kilometers (3 miles) or more...
Northern Mars Landsc...
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Sand dunes in a vast area of northern Mars long thought to be frozen in time are changing with both sudden and gradual motions, according to research using images from a NASA orbiter. These dune fields cover an area the size of Texas in a band around the planet at the edge of Mars’ north...