Astronomers hunt Martian water from Earth As Mars makes its closest approach in almost 60,000 years, two Australian astronomers have used the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii to look for signs that the planet once had liquid water - and so may have hosted life. Dr. Jeremy Bailey of the Anglo-Australian Observatory and the Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA) at... view more... (2003-08-26)
Mars Express has the sophisticated science to find the water ice on Mars "The presence of such a large amount of water ice under Mars`s surface is very surprising. Especially so close to the surface!" says Gerhard Schwehm, Head of the Planetary Missions Division at ESA. The team working on ESA`s Mars Express, the next mission to the Red Planet, is thrilled by NASA`s Mars Odyssey detection of hydrogen-rich layers under... view more... (2002-05-30)
Mars under the spotlight again Relieved UK scientists are celebrating the news that NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) appears to have smoothly entered Mars orbit on Friday night (March 10th). view more (2006-03-14)
Mineral discovery explains Mars' landscape A Queen's University researcher has discovered a mineral that could explain the mountainous landscape of Mars, and have implications for NASA's next mission to the planet. view more (2006-10-24)
Water at Martian south pole Thanks to ESA's Mars Express, we now know that Mars has vast fields of perennial water ice, stretching out from the south pole of the Red Planet. Astronomers have known for years that Mars possessed polar ice caps, but early attempts at chemical analysis suggested only that the northern cap could be composed of water ice, and the southern cap... view more... (2004-03-18)
NASA images, White Sands features support a wetter Mars NASA's announcement yesterday of evidence that water still flows on Mars, at least in brief spurts, demonstrates that the view of Mars as a very dry planet should be reevaluated, says Dawn Sumner, professor of geology at UC Davis. Recent work from by Sumner and graduate student Greg Chavdarian also supports the presence of liquid water near the... view more... (2006-12-08)
Many characteristics of Mars, including ice, are similar to Earth, paper says Mars gets as far as 250 million miles away, but many parts of it closely resemble places on Earth, including its landscape, history of water, soil and even its weather, says a Texas A&M University researcher in the current issue of "Science" magazine. view more (2009-07-06)
Deep and Crisp and Eaten: Scotland's Deep- Fried Mars Bar Scotland has had a reputation as the home of the deep-fried Mars bar for many years. Researchers Dr Mark Petticrew, from the University of Glasgow, and Dr David Morrison had never actually seen them for sale but after a recent mention by Jay Leno, host of NBC's Tonight Show they set out to find if it is myth or fact. view more (2004-12-17)
Aussies plan for Mars weather forecasts A team of Australian astronomers have developed a way of forecasting the weather on Mars - without putting their toes in space and created beautiful images of our neighbouring planet. view more (2004-09-09)
Soggy Sands of Mars? Cracks and fins in the sand in an American desert look very similar to features seen on Mars and may indicate the recent presence of water at the surface. view more (2006-04-07)
Marsquake detection sensors will take search for water underground Researchers at Imperial College London have just begun a 5-year project to design and build tiny earthquake measuring devices to go to Mars on the 2007 NetLander mission. Unlike the instruments on next year`s European Mars Express/Beagle II mission, the Marsquake sensors will be the first to look deep inside the planet. The internal structure of... view more... (2002-05-30)
Mars Express radar gauges water quantity around Mars south pole The amount of water trapped in frozen layers over Mars' south polar region is equivalent to a liquid layer about 11 metres deep covering the planet. view more (2007-03-16)
Mars Express mission extended ESA's Mars Express mission has been extended by one Martian year, or about 23 months, from the beginning of December 2005. view more (2005-09-23)
Methane doesn't necessarily mean life on Mars, says Dartmouth study Two Dartmouth researchers have weighed in on the debate over whether the presence of methane gas on Mars indicates life on the red planet. Mukul Sharma, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, and Chris Oze, a postdoctoral fellow, argue that the Martian methane could have been produced by inorganic processes just as easily as by bacteria. view more (2005-06-08)
Important role of groundwater springs in shaping Mars Data and images from Mars Express suggest that several Light Toned Deposits, some of the least understood features on Mars, were formed when large amounts of groundwater burst on to the surface. view more (2008-12-12)
A little bit of Ferrari takes off to the Red Planet ! ESA PR 52-2002. What is the fastest Ferrari`s distinctive red paint has ever travelled? Next year it will be 10800 km/h! Mars Express, to be launched in May/June 2003, the first European spacecraft to visit the Red Planet, will be speeding on its way accompanied by the very essence of Ferrari: a sample of its distinctive red paint. Mars has... view more... (2002-07-22)
The Radar Search For Martian Water Until the last few years, Mars has been regarded as a cold, arid world that lost most of its water long ago. However, recent observations by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey spacecraft have provided tantalising evidence that huge amounts of water may be hidden just below the surface. Now, a powerful new instrument is poised to probe... view more... (2003-04-01)
Mars -- Red Planet once blue planet A team of Canadian and U.S. researchers have uncovered evidence that ragged, kilometre-high undulating features on the surface of Mars were shorelines of massive ancient oceans that once covered one-third of the planet in water. view more (2007-06-14)
The MARSIS radar estimates the volume of water in the south pole of Mars By studying the South Polar region of Mars, the MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding) radar of the Mars Express space probe has enabled the structure of the layered deposits of this region to be elucidated. view more (2007-04-02)
Mars Express sees its first water - scientific results ESA PR 06-2004. Mars Express, ESA's first mission to Mars, will reach its final orbit on 28 January. It has already been producing stunning results since its first instrument was switched on, on 5 January. The significance of the first data was emphasised by the scientists at a European press conference today at ESA's Space Operations Centre,... view more... (2004-01-23)
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