Mars News, Science, Technology at MarsDaily.com

December 16, 2016

How on Earth does NASA choose a landing site on Mars?
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 16, 2016
Getting to the surface of Mars takes years of planning, engineering and science work, a successful launch, and a months-long journey of millions of miles. You only get one opportunity to touch down at a site on Mars, so it's critical to get it right. "You can't say, 'here are ten different sites, let's go to them,'" said Michael Meyer, the lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Each mission-it's one shot. You definitely want to pick the right one." b> ... read more

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A Promising Spot for Life on Mars As NASA's Curiosity rover makes its way up the central peak of Gale Crater, it has been gathering evidence from ancient lake beds and long ago groundwater environments that are promising to life. ... more		Bremen robot team successfully simulates Mars mission in Utah A major challenge in the exploration of Mars by robots is its uneven surface, which is marked by trenches and craters. Whether the systems can withstand the rough terrain on the Red Planet, they hav ... more		First detection of boron on the surface of Mars Boron has been identified for the first time on the surface of Mars, indicating the potential for long-term habitable groundwater in the ancient past. This finding and others from NASA's Curiosity r ... more
				Mars Rock-Ingredient Stew Seen as Plus for Habitability NASA's Curiosity rover is climbing a layered Martian mountain and finding evidence of how ancient lakes and wet underground environments changed, billions of years ago, creating more diverse chemica ... more		ExoMars orbiter images Phobos The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has imaged the martian moon Phobos as part of a second set of test science measurements made since it arrived at the Red Planet on 19 October. The Trace Gas Orbit ... more

Opportunity team plot path forward to the 'Gully' Opportunity is heading towards the next science waypoint on the rim of Endeavour Crater. Early in this period, Sols 4556 and 4559 (Nov. 16, 2016 and Nov. 19, 2016) she did quite a bit of explo ... more		Mars One puts back planned colonisation of Red Planet A British-Dutch company planning to install a community of humans on Mars admitted on Wednesday that it's project will be delayed by several years. ... more		New MachLab rocket test site launches UK into next phase of space engineering Ukraine's anti-graft body says new bill restores independence Iran meets European powers amid threats of UN sanctions snapback		Evidence suggests early Mars was warmer and wetter Scientists are generally in agreement that water once flowed on Mars. The nature of those flows and the conditions that made them possible are less obvious, however. ... more
				Curiosity Rover Team Examining New Drill Hiatus NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is studying its surroundings and monitoring the environment, rather than driving or using its arm for science, while the rover team diagnoses an issue with a motor that m ... more		Climate cycles may explain how running water carved Mars' surface features Dramatic climate cycles on early Mars, triggered by buildup of greenhouse gases, may be the key to understanding how liquid water left its mark on the planet's surface, according to a team of planet ... more

Develop commercial strategies for the global deployment of SMRs and Advanced Reactors

Swiss firm acquires Mars One private project A British-Dutch project aiming to send an unmanned mission to Mars by 2018 announced Friday that the shareholders of a Swiss financial services company have agreed a takeover bid. ... more		Europe okays 1.4 bn euros for Mars rover, ISS European ministers approved a 1.4-billion-euro ($1.5-billion) lifeline Friday for plans to place a life-seeking rover on Mars and maintain a presence on the International Space Station. ... more		Australia's mammal megafauna face long-term decline from extinctions and invasive species Alien life clues may emerge from deep sea volcanic vents on Earth Seismic signatures reveal fragmentation patterns of fireball meteoroids		NASA Radio on Europe's New Mars Orbiter Aces Relay Test Data from each of the two rovers active on Mars reached Earth last week in the successful first relay test of a NASA radio aboard Europe's new Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). The transmissions from N ... more
First views of Mars show potential for ESA's new orbiter ESA's new ExoMars orbiter has tested its suite of instruments in orbit for the first time, hinting at a great potential for future observations. The Trace Gas Orbiter, or TGO, a joint endeavour bet ... more		CaSSIS Sends First Images from Mars Orbit The Mars Camera, CaSSIS, on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured its first high resolution images of the Red Planet last week. The Bernese camera worked almost perfectly and has provided spectacul ... more		Laser-based Navigation Sensor Could Be Standard for Planetary Landing Missions A laser-guided navigation sensor that could help future rovers make safe, precise landings on Mars or destinations beyond will soon undergo testing in California's Mojave Desert. The Navigatio ... more		ExoMars space programme needs an extra 400 million euros Barely a month after its expensive test lander crashed into Mars, the European Space Agency asked member nations Friday to cough up an extra 400 million euros ($425 million) to complete the ExoMars exploration of the Red Planet. ... more

	Opportunity team onsidering a new route due to boulder field Opportunity is heading towards the next science waypoint on the rim of Endeavour Crater. On Sol 4550 (Nov. 10, 2016), the rover headed east about 39 feet (12 meters). On Sol 4552 (Nov. 12, 201 ... more		Mars Ice Deposit Holds as Much Water as Lake Superior Frozen beneath a region of cracked and pitted plains on Mars lies about as much water as what's in Lake Superior, largest of the Great Lakes, a team of scientists led by The University of Texas at A ... more

NASA's X-59 moves under its own power

Sri Lanka orders Singapore shipowner to pay US$1 bn over marine disaster

More than 80% of Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa

Computer glitch blamed for European Mars lander crash		ESA's new Mars orbiter prepares for first science		NASA field test focuses on science of lava terrains, like Early Mars		Dutch firm unveils concept space suit for Mars explorers		Can we grow potatoes on Mars
Opportunity heads to next waypoint at over 27 miles on the odometer		Meteorites reveal lasting drought on Mars		A funnel on mars could be a place to look for life		Novel Analysis Technique Helps Solve Beagle 2 Mystery		Iron-Loving Bacteria A Model For Mars Life

Mars' ionosphere shaped by crustal magnetic fields

Opportunity makes small U-turn to reach summit of Spirit Mound

Mars rover confirms 'Egg Rock' is fallen iron-nickel meteorite

'Millions' needed to continue Europe's Mars mission: ESA chief

Schiaparelli crash site in colour

Unusual Martian region leaves clues to planet's past

Six people to spend two weeks in Mars simulation habitat in Poland

A record of ancient tectonic stress on Mars

Curiosity Mars Rover Checks Odd-looking Iron Meteorite

New instrument could search for signatures of life on Mars

Mars: How Will Humans Get There

Detailed images of Schiaparelli and its descent hardware on Mars

Forging a brand-new chemical bond using the pressure of the Mars core

Research helps explain formation of ringed Lunar crater

Cursed not, Difficult yes

A graveyard of broken dreams and landers

Modeling floods that formed canyons on Earth and Mars

Did it crash or land? Search on for Europe's Mars craft

Microbial life on mars

MAVEN mission observes ups and downs of water escape from Mars

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