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World's Largest Mars Rock Ever Found Could Sell For $4 Million At Sotheby's
The largest Martian rock ever found on Earth - a 24.67 kg meteorite discovered in Niger - has been verified by the Shanghai Astronomy Museum and is expected to sell for up to $4 million at a Sotheby's auction later this month.
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Mars Dust Devils May Spark Lightning, Might Pose Risks to Rovers: Study
A new computer-modeling study reveals that dust devils on Mars—swirling columns of dust and air—may become electrically charged enough to spark lightning-like discharges. Led by researcher Varun Sheel, the study simulates how dry Martian conditions and frictional collisions between dust grains can generate strong electric fields inside these vo...
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NASA's Perseverance Grinds Into ‘Weird’ Martian Rock to Uncover Signs of Ancient Habitability
NASA’s Perseverance rover is grinding into a strange Martian rock called Kenmore to study its inner makeup and potential for preserving signs of ancient life. The rock yielded clay and feldspar and, for the first time, manganese hydroxide, all key indicators of water-related processes and possible habitability on early Mars.
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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Investigates Strange Martian Rock
NASA’s Perseverance rover has analysed an unusual rock called “Kenmore”, uncovering clay and manganese-rich minerals. Alongside, it broke its own Martian driving record, covering 1,348 feet using autonomous navigation. The findings may guide future missions in sampling and habitat planning, deepening our understanding of Mars’ geological co...
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Is Mars Really Red? A Physicist Explains the Science Behind Its Colour and More
A physicist explains the science behind Mars’s red appearance, linking its hue to iron oxide or rust. While known as the Red Planet, rover images and telescope data show varied colors, from tan to white ice caps. Observations in ultraviolet and infrared light reveal deeper insights into Mars’s atmosphere, surface, and seasonal changes, enrichin...
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Curiosity Rover Reaches Uyuni Quad, Begins New Mars Mapping and Surface Analysis Campaign
NASA’s Curiosity rover has entered the Uyuni quad on Mars, beginning a new leg of its mission. The rover completed a 48-metre drive and is now collecting fresh data on sedimentary textures and surface chemistry. With a focus on remote sensing and contact science, the team hopes to uncover clues about past Martian environments.
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Perseverance Rover Studies Ancient Martian Rocks at Fallbreen and Forlandet Quadrangle
NASA's Perseverance rover reached new ground on June 7, 2025, exploring ancient Martian terrain at Fallbreen and moving into the Forlandet quadrangle near Jezero Crater. This region may contain Mars' oldest rocks, offering key insights into the planet’s early geology. The mission also honors Earth's own exploration history by naming Martian sites...
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AI Reveals Mars’s Mysterious Slope Streaks Likely Formed by Dust, Not Water Activity
An AI-based study has found that Mars’s mysterious dark slope streaks are likely formed by dust and wind, not flowing water as long believed. Based on an analysis of over 86,000 satellite images, the findings challenge past theories and may help scientists focus future Mars missions on more promising areas in the search for ancient life.
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The Promise And Peril Of A Crewed Mars Mission
Mars mission would pursue scientific objectives like determining whether Mars ever hosted life and charting the evolution of its surface, as well as answering broader questions -- such as the history of the Sun through studying Martian soil.
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MAVEN Reveals How Mars Lost Its Atmosphere and Became a Barren World
NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft has provided the first direct evidence of "sputtering"—a powerful atmospheric escape process where solar wind particles blast atoms off Mars. The newly published study confirms that this process played a major role in the Red Planet’s transformation from a once-wet, habitable world to its current barren state. Argon ga...
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SpaceX Cleared for Starship Flight 9 Launch After FAA Safety Review
The FAA has given SpaceX the green light to launch Starship Flight 9 following a full safety review of the March 6 Flight 8 anomaly. The upcoming launch is set for no earlier than May 27 at 7:30 p.m. EDT from Starbase, Texas. Notably, SpaceX will reuse the Super Heavy booster from Flight 7. Due to debris from earlier missions, the FAA has expanded ...
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NASA’s Perseverance Explores Mars' Oldest Rocks in Krokodillen Region
NASA’s Perseverance rover has reached Krokodillen, a 73-acre plateau near Jezero Crater's rim believed to host some of Mars’ oldest rocks. Preliminary data shows signs of clays, carbonates, and olivine minerals, suggesting ancient water activity. Currently examining a site named Copper Cove, the rover is using a new sampling strategy that allow...
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New Study Uses AI to Reveal Dry Origins of Mars’ Mysterious Slope Streaks
A new study by researchers at Brown University and the University of Bern used machine learning to analyze 86,000 high-resolution images of Mars. Their findings suggest that recurring slope lineae (RSLs)—dark streaks once thought to indicate liquid water—are actually caused by dry processes like wind and dust movement. With over 500,000 feature...
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NASA’s Perseverance Captures Deimos Before Dawn in Striking Martian Sky Image
NASA’s Perseverance rover captured a rare pre-dawn image of Mars’ moon Deimos on Sol 1433, stitching together 16 long-exposure shots into a 52-second composition. Despite image noise and cosmic interference, the photo reveals Deimos, stars like Regulus and Algieba, and Martian sky conditions, highlighting the rover’s expanding role in celesti...
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Water on Ancient Mars? New Study Challenges the Cold Planet Theory
Scientists have uncovered compelling evidence suggesting that early Mars was surprisingly wet, featuring extensive networks of lakes and river basins shaped by rainfall and snowfall. This challenges long-held views of a predominantly cold and icy ancient Mars. Despite current climate models struggling to explain sustained liquid water on the Red Pl...
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World's Largest Mars Rock Ever Found Could Sell For $4 Million At Sotheby's
The largest Martian rock ever found on Earth - a 24.67 kg meteorite discovered in Niger - has been verified by the Shanghai Astronomy Museum and is expected to sell for up to $4 million at a Sotheby's auction later this month.
-
Mars Dust Devils May Spark Lightning, Might Pose Risks to Rovers: Study
A new computer-modeling study reveals that dust devils on Mars—swirling columns of dust and air—may become electrically charged enough to spark lightning-like discharges. Led by researcher Varun Sheel, the study simulates how dry Martian conditions and frictional collisions between dust grains can generate strong electric fields inside these vo...
-
NASA's Perseverance Grinds Into ‘Weird’ Martian Rock to Uncover Signs of Ancient Habitability
NASA’s Perseverance rover is grinding into a strange Martian rock called Kenmore to study its inner makeup and potential for preserving signs of ancient life. The rock yielded clay and feldspar and, for the first time, manganese hydroxide, all key indicators of water-related processes and possible habitability on early Mars.
-
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Investigates Strange Martian Rock
NASA’s Perseverance rover has analysed an unusual rock called “Kenmore”, uncovering clay and manganese-rich minerals. Alongside, it broke its own Martian driving record, covering 1,348 feet using autonomous navigation. The findings may guide future missions in sampling and habitat planning, deepening our understanding of Mars’ geological co...
-
Is Mars Really Red? A Physicist Explains the Science Behind Its Colour and More
A physicist explains the science behind Mars’s red appearance, linking its hue to iron oxide or rust. While known as the Red Planet, rover images and telescope data show varied colors, from tan to white ice caps. Observations in ultraviolet and infrared light reveal deeper insights into Mars’s atmosphere, surface, and seasonal changes, enrichin...
-
Curiosity Rover Reaches Uyuni Quad, Begins New Mars Mapping and Surface Analysis Campaign
NASA’s Curiosity rover has entered the Uyuni quad on Mars, beginning a new leg of its mission. The rover completed a 48-metre drive and is now collecting fresh data on sedimentary textures and surface chemistry. With a focus on remote sensing and contact science, the team hopes to uncover clues about past Martian environments.
-
Perseverance Rover Studies Ancient Martian Rocks at Fallbreen and Forlandet Quadrangle
NASA's Perseverance rover reached new ground on June 7, 2025, exploring ancient Martian terrain at Fallbreen and moving into the Forlandet quadrangle near Jezero Crater. This region may contain Mars' oldest rocks, offering key insights into the planet’s early geology. The mission also honors Earth's own exploration history by naming Martian sites...
-
AI Reveals Mars’s Mysterious Slope Streaks Likely Formed by Dust, Not Water Activity
An AI-based study has found that Mars’s mysterious dark slope streaks are likely formed by dust and wind, not flowing water as long believed. Based on an analysis of over 86,000 satellite images, the findings challenge past theories and may help scientists focus future Mars missions on more promising areas in the search for ancient life.
-
The Promise And Peril Of A Crewed Mars Mission
Mars mission would pursue scientific objectives like determining whether Mars ever hosted life and charting the evolution of its surface, as well as answering broader questions -- such as the history of the Sun through studying Martian soil.
-
MAVEN Reveals How Mars Lost Its Atmosphere and Became a Barren World
NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft has provided the first direct evidence of "sputtering"—a powerful atmospheric escape process where solar wind particles blast atoms off Mars. The newly published study confirms that this process played a major role in the Red Planet’s transformation from a once-wet, habitable world to its current barren state. Argon ga...
-
SpaceX Cleared for Starship Flight 9 Launch After FAA Safety Review
The FAA has given SpaceX the green light to launch Starship Flight 9 following a full safety review of the March 6 Flight 8 anomaly. The upcoming launch is set for no earlier than May 27 at 7:30 p.m. EDT from Starbase, Texas. Notably, SpaceX will reuse the Super Heavy booster from Flight 7. Due to debris from earlier missions, the FAA has expanded ...
-
NASA’s Perseverance Explores Mars' Oldest Rocks in Krokodillen Region
NASA’s Perseverance rover has reached Krokodillen, a 73-acre plateau near Jezero Crater's rim believed to host some of Mars’ oldest rocks. Preliminary data shows signs of clays, carbonates, and olivine minerals, suggesting ancient water activity. Currently examining a site named Copper Cove, the rover is using a new sampling strategy that allow...
-
New Study Uses AI to Reveal Dry Origins of Mars’ Mysterious Slope Streaks
A new study by researchers at Brown University and the University of Bern used machine learning to analyze 86,000 high-resolution images of Mars. Their findings suggest that recurring slope lineae (RSLs)—dark streaks once thought to indicate liquid water—are actually caused by dry processes like wind and dust movement. With over 500,000 feature...
-
NASA’s Perseverance Captures Deimos Before Dawn in Striking Martian Sky Image
NASA’s Perseverance rover captured a rare pre-dawn image of Mars’ moon Deimos on Sol 1433, stitching together 16 long-exposure shots into a 52-second composition. Despite image noise and cosmic interference, the photo reveals Deimos, stars like Regulus and Algieba, and Martian sky conditions, highlighting the rover’s expanding role in celesti...
-
Water on Ancient Mars? New Study Challenges the Cold Planet Theory
Scientists have uncovered compelling evidence suggesting that early Mars was surprisingly wet, featuring extensive networks of lakes and river basins shaped by rainfall and snowfall. This challenges long-held views of a predominantly cold and icy ancient Mars. Despite current climate models struggling to explain sustained liquid water on the Red Pl...
