Mars News, Science, Technology at MarsDaily.com

July 31, 2016

SwRI-led study shows puzzling paucity of large craters on dwarf planet Ceres
San Antonio TX (SPX) Jul 28, 2016
A team of scientists led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) made a puzzling observation while studying the size and distribution of craters on the dwarf planet Ceres. Ceres is the largest object in the tumultuous Main Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Collision models predicted Ceres should have accumulated up to 10 to 15 craters larger than 400 kilometers (250 miles) wide, and at least 40 craters larger than 100 km (62 miles) wide. Instead, NASA's Dawn spacecraft found only 16 craters l ... read more

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Engine burn gives Mars mission a kick Following a lengthy firing of its powerful engine this morning, ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is on track to arrive at the Red Planet in October. ExoMars made its first critical manoeuvre since it ... more		Heart hazard for Apollo astronauts: study NASA's Apollo astronauts, the only humans to have travelled beyond Earth's protective magnetosphere, die disproportionately of heart and blood vessel diseases, researchers said Thursday, blaming radiation. ... more		Digging deeper into Mars Water is the key to life on Earth. Scientists continue to unravel the mystery of life on Mars by investigating evidence of water in the planet's soil. Previous observations of soil observed along cr ... more
				Russia, US Discuss Lunar Station for Mars Mission Russia's Roscosmos Corporation and NASA are in discussions about future of joint space missions following the conclusion of the ISS project in 2024; one proposal is to create a space base close to t ... more		NASA Mars Rover Can Choose Laser Targets on Its Own NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is now selecting rock targets for its laser spectrometer - the first time autonomous target selection is available for an instrument of this kind on any robotic planetary ... more

Transition from Operations to Decommissioning by Preparing a Safe, Cost-Effective Shut Down and Waste Management Strategy

NASA's Viking Data Lives on, Inspires 40 Years Later Forty years ago, NASA's Viking mission made history when it became the first mission to successfully land a fully operational spacecraft on Mars. This mission gave us our first real look at the Mart ... more		Opportunity Rover wrapping up work within Marathon Valley Opportunity is exploring 'Marathon Valley' on the rim of Endeavour crater, investigating outcrops for evidence of clay minerals. The rover is nearing the completion of its exploration within M ... more		Space Force taps five firms to develop secure global tactical satcom solutions SES Secures 5 Year Army Contract for Global Tactical Satellite Communications Royal Canadian Navy selects MDA Space for next generation drone surveillance systems		NASA Selects Five Mars Orbiter Concept Studies NASA has selected five U.S. aerospace companies to conduct concept studies for a potential future Mars orbiter mission. Such a mission would continue key capabilities including telecommunications an ... more
				Next Mars Rover Progresses Toward 2020 Launch After an extensive review process and passing a major development milestone, NASA is ready to proceed with final design and construction of its next Mars rover, currently targeted to launch in summe ... more		Building a Commercial Market in Low Earth Orbit This April marked the sixth anniversary of President Obama's landmark address on space policy at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In his speech, the President set out the goal of sending Amer ... more

2nd Integrated Air and Missile Defense - Securing the Complex Air Domain: Requirements for Sustainable, Global, and Reliable Solutions to Next Generation Air & Missile Threats - 28-30 September, 2016 | Washington D.C.

The World's Largest Commercial Drone Conference and Expo - Sept 7-9 - Las Vegas

Mars Canyons Study Adds Clues about Possible Water Puzzles persist about possible water at seasonally dark streaks on Martian slopes, according to a new study of thousands of such features in the Red Planet's largest canyon system. The study publish ... more		Curiosity Mars Rover Enters Precautionary Safe Mode The team operating NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is taking steps to return the rover to full activity following a precautionary stand-down over the Fourth of July weekend. Curiosity is now commu ... more		Decision time as plastic pollution treaty talks begin Exceptional Nordic heatwave stumps tourists seeking shade A 'Thinker' drowns in plastic garbage as UN treaty talks open		Frosty Cold Nights Year-Round on Mars May Stir Dust Some dusty parts of Mars get as cold at night year-round as the planet's poles do in winter, even regions near the equator in summer, according to new NASA findings based on Mars Reconnaissance Orbi ... more
Mars Canyons Study Adds Clues about Possible Water Puzzles persist about possible water at seasonally dark streaks on Martian slopes, according to a new study of thousands of such features in the Red Planet's largest canyon system. The study p ... more		Scientists' Innovation Began With 'Wanting to Understand Why' NASA's Journey to Mars will require groundbreaking technologies and solutions to many complex problems. For a pair of NASA scientists at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an idea to help make tha ... more		Opportunity finishing science investigations at the center of Marathon Valley Opportunity is exploring 'Marathon Valley' on the rim of Endeavour crater, investigating outcrops for evidence of clay minerals. The rover is nearing the completion of its exploration within M ... more		Moons of Mars probably formed by giant impact The origin of the two Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, remained a mystery. Due to their small size and irregular shape, they strongly resembled asteroids, but no one understood how Mars could have ... more

	Mars Rover's Sand-Dune Studies Yield Surprise Some of the wind-sculpted sand ripples on Mars are a type not seen on Earth, and their relationship to the thin Martian atmosphere today provides new clues about the atmosphere's history. The ... more		Unusual form of sand dune discovered on Mars Both Earth and Mars feature large sand dunes and small sand ripples. Recently, NASA's Mars rover Curiosity discovered and studied an expanse of medium-sized sand waves unlike any sand formations found on Earth. ... more

A weakening forest buffer challenges EU climate goals

Carbon 'offsets' aren't working. Here's a way to improve nature-based climate solutions

Cosmic shield breakthrough could extend life of space solar cells

ChemCam findings hint at oxygen-rich past on Mars		Curiosity rover analysis suggests Mars has oxygen-rich history		NASA Weighs Use of Rover to Image Potential Mars Water Sites		Opportunity is on its Final Science Campaign at 'Marathon Valley'		NASA Scientists Discover Unexpected Mineral on Mars
Opportunity Wraps up Work on 'Wheel Scuff'		Hardware for Journey to Mars is a 'Big Catch'		Dutch crops grown on 'Mars' soil found safe to eat		Efficient hydrogen production made easy		CaSSIS Sends First Image of Mars

NASA Ignites Fire Experiment Aboard Space Cargo Ship

A little help from friends

Rover Opportunity Wrapping up Study of Martian Valley

Delayed ExoMars mission gets 77-mln-euro boost

NASA signs space deal with United Arab Emirates

NASA Mars Rover Descends Plateau, Turns Toward Mountain

Remarkably diverse flora in Utah, USA, trains scientists for future missions on Mars

Musk explains his 'cargo route' to Mars

NASA Mars Orbiters Reveal Seasonal Dust Storm Pattern

Study of Opportunity Wheel Scuff Continues

SpaceX could send people to Mars by 2024, Elon Musk says

Mars 'colonists' to undergo five days of tests

Red and Golden Planets at Opposition

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