Latest news with #MarsExploration
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump Wants $1 Billion for Private-Sector-Led Mars Exploration
US President Donald Trump wants to tap the private sector to pave the way for human missions to Mars in a proposal that closely aligns with the goals of Elon Musk. The White House's 2026 budget proposal, released late on Friday, calls for allocating more than $1 billion for Mars exploration, including a new NASA initiative called the Commercial Mars Payload Services Program (CMPS). Under the proposal, NASA would award contracts to companies developing spacesuits, communications systems and a human-rated landing vehicle to foster exploration of the Red Planet.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
NASA's Mars Perseverance snaps a selfie as a Martian dust devil blows by
The latest selfie by NASA's Perseverance rover at Mars has captured an unexpected guest: a Martian dust devil. Resembling a small pale puff, the twirling dust devil popped up 3 miles (5 kilometers) behind the rover during this month's photo shoot. Released Wednesday, the selfie is a composite of 59 images taken by the camera on the end of the rover's robotic arm, according to NASA. It took an hour to perform all the arm movements necessary to gather the images, 'but it's worth it,' said Megan Wu, an imaging scientist from Malin Space Science Systems, which built the camera. 'Having the dust devil in the background makes it a classic," Wu said in a statement. The picture — which also shows the rover's latest sample borehole on the surface — marks 1,500 sols or Martian days for Perseverance. That's equivalent to 1,541 days on Earth. Perseverance is covered with red dust, the result of drilling into dozens of rocks. Launched in 2020, it's collecting samples for eventual return to Earth from Jezero Crater, an ancient lakebed and river delta that could hold clues of any past microbial life. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Digital Trends
16-05-2025
- Science
- Digital Trends
NASA rover shares moody image of Mars moon Deimos
Once in a while, you might look up and marvel at magnificent views of our moon, its surface dramatically lit by our sun's light. But have you ever paused to wonder what other moons might look like from the surfaces of other planets in our solar system? NASA's Perseverance rover, which has been exploring Mars since arriving there in dramatic fashion in 2021, has just shared an exquisite image of Deimos, one of the red planet's two moons. Recommended Videos 'Wishing upon a … moon?' NASA's Perseverance team, based in California, wrote in a post on the rover's X account on Thursday, adding: 'That bright 'star' is actually Mars' moon Deimos.' Wishing upon a… moon? That bright 'star' is actually Mars' moon Deimos. In the hours before dawn, I snapped this long-exposure image with my left Navcam and caught Deimos as well as two stars from the constellation Leo in the sky. It's definitely a mood, as they say. — NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) May 15, 2025 Perseverance captured the image in March 'in the hours before dawn' via a long-exposure using its left Navcam. The picture also includes two stars — Regulus and Algieba — from the constellation Leo, which NASA has helpfully pointed out: With a diameter of 7.7 miles (12.4 kilometers), Deimos, which scientists believe is likely to be a captured asteroid, is much smaller than Earth's moon, which has a diameter of 2,159 miles (3,474 kilometers). And while Deimos orbits Mars at a distance of 14,577 miles (23,460 kilometers), Earth's next door neighbor orbits at a far greater distance of about 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers). Also, our moon has a spherical shape, whereas Deimos has an irregular form that NASA has rather unflatteringly described as 'potato-shaped.' The rover's image offers a refreshing departure from its usual focus on the martian terrain where it's searching for signs of ancient microbial life, allowing us to appreciate for a moment the broader cosmic context of Perseverance's mission. In many ways, the striking photo is more than just a technical achievement as it also offers a moment of reflection during the rover's epic mission to seek knowledge beyond our home planet.
The National
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Nasa offering new opportunities to global partners as Trump's proposed budget cuts challenge lunar Gateway
US space agency Nasa is expanding opportunities for its international partners to take part in its Moon and Mars exploration efforts, as it prepares to adjust its road map in response to proposed budget cuts by the White House. The Trump administration put forward a $18.8 billion budget for 2026, down 24 per cent from last year, with much of that to be allocated for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The budget also cuts or reshapes programmes, including ending the Gateway project, a lunar-orbiting station that Nasa and numerous countries were building parts for. But the agency said in a statement that components already produced for the station would be repurposed for other missions to the Moon and Mars, in which international partners would be invited to part in through 'meaningful collaboration'. 'Nasa's international partnerships are an important part of the Artemis campaign, which includes returning humans to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars,' the agency told The National in a statement. 'We have identified, defined and prioritised a number of critical technology gaps in order to enable future lunar and Mars missions. 'The Moon to Mars Architecture outlines opportunities and processes for international partners to propose co-operation that addresses these gaps.' The agency's Architecture Definition Document details what technologies and systems are still needed to make long-term exploration sustainable, covering everything from power systems to surface habitats and communication networks. Dimitra Atri, an astrophysicist at New York University Abu Dhabi, said this evolving landscape presents newer opportunities for countries like the UAE, which is investing heavily in its space sector. 'Beyond the Gateway airlock, the UAE can contribute significantly through advanced robotics and surface mobility systems, building on the Rashid rover experience,' Dr Atri told The National. 'The UAE also has proven capabilities in satellite technology, which could enhance communications networks on the Moon and Mars. 'Our growing expertise in AI and data analysis, honed through missions like the Hope probe, can support complex operations and scientific discovery across Nasa's Moon to Mars architecture.' The budget proposal and redirecting funds to Moon and Mars mission is part of the US government's efforts to beat China on sending humans to the lunar surface and Mars. But for the UAE and other emerging space powers, joining Nasa's renewed efforts could be more than just planting a flag, Dr Atri said. 'Active participation in lunar and Martian exploration is vital for the UAE,' he said. 'Scientifically, it places the country at the forefront of discovery, contributing to humanity's understanding of the universe and our place within it. 'Strategically, it accelerates technological innovation vital for a knowledge-based economy, inspires a new generation towards Stem [Science, technology, engineering and mathematics] fields and cements the UAE's position as a capable partner in defining the future of international space exploration.' Nasa's Architecture Document outlines areas where partners can step in, from helping develop energy systems and lunar construction technologies to providing science payloads and transportation solutions. The UAE, with its investments in developing lunar rovers, satellite communications and human space flight training, is well positioned to tackle multiple roles. Dr Atri said that universities also play an equally crucial role in supporting these ambitions. At NYU Abu Dhabi, for example, researchers are working on lunar simulants, developing instruments for future missions and testing sustainable agriculture solutions for use in Moon or Mars habitats. 'Our contributions include direct participation in projects like the Emirates Lunar Mission, and we've developed infrastructure such as a planetary environment chamber to test hardware under simulated Moon and Mars conditions,' Dr Atri said. 'We also leverage our experience with field studies in the UAE's deserts, which serve as valuable analogue environments for Mars and lunar exploration.'
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Science
- Forbes
NASA Curiosity Mars Rover Investigates ‘Polygon Heaven'
NASA's Curiosity rover snapped this view of polygon-patterned bedrock on May 4. Mars is home to a lot of odd-shaped rocks that can look pretty random. Patterns, however, can catch scientists' eyes. That's the case with a section of polygon-patterned rocks spotted by NASA's Curiosity rover. The geometric cracks are a bit of a mystery, but the rover is looking into it. Current-day Mars comes across as an unpleasant place to live. It can reach painfully frigid temperatures and the surface is dry. That wasn't always the case. Mars was once a more watery place. The planet's history of water may play into the polygons. 'While the origin of these shapes isn't clear, they're another clue into how and when Mars lost its water,' the Curiosity team said on X on May 6. The Curiosity team shared a close-up color view of the polygon patterns snapped by the Mars Hand Lens Imager, one of the rover's many cameras. MAHLI is located at the end of the rover's robotic arm and helps the rover get into the personal space of Mars rocks and geologic features. The view shows a brown rock with distinctive angles. The Curiosity rovers MAHLI camera snapped a close color view of the polygon-patterned bedrock. There are several possible explanations for the polygonal cracks. Planetary geologist Catherine O'Connell-Cooper of the University of New Brunswick offered up a couple of ideas in a rover mission update on May 8. The cracks might have formed as Mars dried out billions of years ago. The shapes could also have formed later as groundwater moved through the bedrock. The mission update declared the area 'polygon heaven.' The polygon patterns resemble shapes seen in mud when it dries out on Earth. It will take more investigation before scientists can dial in the most likely origin for the distinctive patterns on Mars. 'Spending time in this area will help us to tease out their origin by sampling as much of the diversity as we can, from regular bedrock to the stranger textured targets,' wrote O'Connell-Cooper. The team will compare data from the polygonal features with data from unpatterned bedrock. Curiosity arrived on Mars in 2012, making it NASA's oldest functioning rover on the planet. It's traveled over 21 miles as it scales the slopes of Mount Sharp—the massive central mountain inside the Gale Crater. The rover's primary mission has been to understand if Mars might have been habitable for microbial life long ago. Both Curiosity and its newer sibling rover Perseverance have a similar aim: to help us understand if there is or ever was life beyond Earth. Curiosity has witnessed quite a few oddball formations in its time on the red planet. It spotted a rock that resembled the pages of a book and photographed a set of rocks with 'dragon scale' patterns. The rover ran over and broke open a stunning rock full of yellow sulfur crystals last year. The polygon-patterned rocks are the latest wonders to come under scrutiny from Curiosity and its team of human researchers back on Earth. NASA's posts on Curiosity's social media outlets are written as though coming directly from the rover itself. The rover had one more thing to say about studying the polygon patterns: 'Science rocks—literally.'
