exploration of mars
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There’s Trouble on Mars for NASA’s Perseverance Rover
The Perseverance rover is at risk of losing its ability to zap Martian rocks with lasers after one of its instruments began malfunctioning last month. One of two covers on SHERLOC, an instrument fitted on the end of the robot’s arm to look for microscopic clues on rocks, is partially open, interfering with the rover’s…
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California Legislators Slam ‘Rash’ NASA Cuts to Marquee Mars Mission
Six California lawmakers wrote to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson last week to oppose the agency’s recent cuts to the Mars Sample Return mission, which aims to bring samples collected by the Perseverance rover on Mars to Earth. The letter was written by congresspeople Judy Chu, Laphonza Butler, Mike Garcia, and Young Kim, as well as…
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Detailed Mars Water Map Shows Where to Land Future Explorers
A new map of subsurface water on Mars just dropped, and it reveals regions on the Red Planet where ice may be buried beneath the surface for future astronauts to use. This week, the NASA-funded Subsurface Water Ice Mapping project (SWIM) released its fourth set of maps, which the space agency is calling the “most…
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NASA’s Plan to Return Samples From Mars Is Pure Science Fiction, Report Finds
The findings from an independent review board suggest that NASA’s quest to return samples from Mars is riddled with challenges and seemingly impossible to accomplish under the current cost and schedule expectations. NASA released the final report on Thursday and announced that it has set up its own team to review the Mars Sample Return…