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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Curiosity update: Initial reconnaissance of the Kimberley, sols 585-595
Curiosity has been busy performing a survey of the Kimberley, walking the length of the outcrop and taking enormous quantities of photos. The team is now ready to go in for a closer look, and maybe even to drill.
Will We Finally Rove Mawrth Vallis?
Mawrth Vallis was axed as a landing site for Curiosity, but will we get a chance to explore it with ESA's ExoMars rover?
Look how clean Opportunity is now!
While climbing Murray Ridge, Opportunity enjoyed a major cleaning event that has left the rover's solar panels more dust-free than they have been in years. The rover captured a pretty panorama of the newly clean deck with its Pancams, and James Sorenson processed the version shown here.
Opposition time for Mars, and several months of dancing with the stars
The Mars Express team showcases some of the best viewing opportunities of Mars in 2014, including how to spot Comet Siding Spring when it flies past Mars this October.
My Own Corner of Mars
How I took a high-res photo of an intriguing spot on the Red Planet--and how you can, too.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Powers Up in Cook Haven and in Fans' Minds
At the Solander Point section of the rim of Endeavour Crater, Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity spent the month of March just off Murray Ridge working on its final targets in Cook Haven and dusting itself in the winds of winter, while MER mission officials on Earth were roving toward what may be the robot's current greatest potential threat – being cut from NASA's planetary science budget.
Field Report From Mars: Sol 3623 – April 3, 2014
Larry Crumpler gives an update on Opportunity's current location, next long-term target, and excitingly increasing power levels.
Great new image of Curiosity from HiRISE, just across Dingo Gap
A Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE image taken on February 10 shows Curiosity having just made deep, dark tracks across the Dingo Gap dune.
Curiosity update, sols 570-583: Arrival at Kimberley and preparation for an arm workout
Some arm faults caused delays on Curiosity's approach to Kimberley, but the rover is now parked at its north edge, examining the
Snapshots of Science from the 2014 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Vignettes from dozens of LPSC talks: GRAIL and LADEE at the Moon; ice and craters and conglomerates and organics and gullies on Mars; polar deposits and volatile elements on Mercury; tectonics on Enceladus; and more, until my brain was so full I could barely speak.
Curiosity update, sols 563-569: Kimberley ahoy!
With a series of drives over the last week, Curiosity is now approaching her next science stop at Kimberley. The distinctive knobs of the Kimberley outcrop are visible in photos taken on sol 569.
[Updated] To Europa!...Slowly. First Impressions of NASA's New Budget Request
Europa may get a mission...eventually. We give our first take on the 2015 NASA Budget request. How does Planetary Exploration fare? Which projects were cancelled? Will NASA capture an asteroid? And most importantly, what can you do about it?
PlanetVac at the IEEE Aerospace Conference
PlanetVac project leader Kris Zacny of Honeybee Robotics reports on presenting results of the Planetary Society project PlanetVac that created a prototype planetary dirt sampling system and tested it under Martian pressures.
Curiosity update, sols 549-562: Shooting past Kylie on the road to Kimberley
In a series of drives, Curiosity flew past the
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Cruises Through Winter Solstice, Into Year 11
The Mars Exploration Rover mission put its 10th anniversary in the rear view mirror in February and roved on into its 11th year of surface operations at Endeavour Crater.
A new map of Mars from some pretty old data
The United States Geological Survey recently issued an improved version of the Viking color map of Mars. This 40-year-old data set still provides the prettiest global-scale map of the planet.
Pretty pictures of terraced craters on Mars
Check out this unusual crater on Mars. It's not a very big one, less than 500 meters in diameter, and yet it has two rings. Most craters on Mars this size are simple bowl shapes. What's going on here?
Mars Express team readies for Siding Spring
On Sunday, 19 October 2014, at around 18:30 UTC, comet C/2013 A1 – known widely as 'Siding Spring' after the Australian observatory where it was discovered in January 2013 – will make a close fly-by of Mars.
Field Report From Mars: Sol 3519 - December 18, 2013
Opportunity arrived at the location that has been the target of all this climbing since late last (Earth) summer. We will settle in for some detailed work on the outcrop here since this appears to be something different from the impact breccias that we have been seeing along the ridge crest.
Field Report From Mars: Sol 3572 – February 10, 2014
Opportunity is still exploring an outcrop high up on Murray Ridge as the winter solstice on Mars approaches. At this location the tilts are good, so Opportunity is getting excellent solar input on its solar panels.