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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
NASA, ESA Officials Outline Latest Mars Sample Return Plans
The current strategy includes the Mars 2020 rover, a lander carrying a rover and ascent vehicle, and an Earth return orbiter.
InSight Update: A Couple More Tiny Quakes and Heat Probe Progress
InSight has detected a couple more small Marsquakes, and the team has lifted the housing of the heat probe off the ground, exposing the top of the mole in a surprisingly wide hole.
Curiosity Gazes Upon Noctilucent Clouds Over Gale Crater
Wispy clouds of stunning beauty fly over Curiosity every evening.
Mars Used to Have Water, But We Can't Explain How
Although we have acquired compelling evidence of flowing liquid water on early Mars, the fundamental question about how water could be stable under Martian atmospheric conditions remains unsolved.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: The Final Report
It’s a fall afternoon at Endeavour Crater. The summer winds finally lost their energy and the dust storm season is over. But there are no more signals coming from Earth. No more comm sessions with the orbiters. Nothing like it used to be.
Curiosity Update, Sols 2313-2387: Two New Drill Holes Despite Memory Problems
The Curiosity team is touring Glen Torridon, the Valley of Clay, south of Vera Rubin Ridge, happily photographing everything and zapping rocks. It’s clearly a delight for the team to be in a place they’ve been hoping to reach for 7 years.
HiRISE Team Overcomes Imaging Glitches as Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Eyes another Decade in Orbit
Blurred images and battery issues are no longer an immediate problem.
InSight Detects Some Very Small Marsquakes
InSight has finally detected its first Marsquakes, but so far, none have been large enough to produce good science. Still, it’s great news that the seismometer is producing sensible data.
InSight Update, Sol 92: The Mole Did Hit a Rock
The HP3 mole started hammering itself today, and almost immediately (after just 5 minutes) appears to have encountered a rock. No matter; they'll try again Saturday.
Practicing Mars 2020 rover operations, on Earth
Jeff Johnson files a report from ROASTT, the Rover Operations Activities for Science Team Training.
InSight update, sols 43-83: Instrument placement complete
InSight has placed its second science instrument on the ground and set it free. Now it's time to bury the heat probe in the soil.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Update Special Report: NASA Declares Opportunity and MER Mission 'Complete'
At around 8 pm February 12, 2019, Pacific Standard Time (PST), the final commands were transmitted to Opportunity, the Mars Exploration Rover that defied all odds.
Touchdown for InSight's Heat Probe
InSight has gone two for two, placing the second of its instruments gently on the Martian ground.
Curiosity Update, Sols 2257-2312: Drilling at Rock Hall and Arrival at the Valley of Clay
Curiosity completed work at Vera Rubin Ridge with an easy drilling activity at Rock Hall. Now it has finally driven on to mineral-rick rocks that were seen from orbit, long before Curiosity arrived. The team plans a lengthy traverse of the clay-bearing unit.
So long, MarCO, and thanks for the radio transmissions
NASA says it does not expect to receive any more transmissions from the MarCO CubeSats that accompanied Insight to Mars last year.
InSight Milestone: Wind and Thermal Shield Placed Sol 66
InSight mission has successfully placed the wind and thermal shield over the seismometer. The seismometer will now be shielded from winds and kept warm over the cold Martian nights, so the quality of its data should dramatically increase.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Logs 15th Year in Silence, Team Begins 'Hail Mary' Efforts
As a string of dust storms moved through Meridiani Planum and over Endeavour Crater in January, Opportunity silently wrapped her fifteenth year on the surface of Mars.
InSight Update, sols 25-42: Seismometer sensors working!
Engineers have leveled the seismometer and made progress on adjusting the position of the tether so that it doesn't interfere for the experiment. Most significantly for the mission, they have balanced the Very Broad Band sensors -- 3 of SEIS’ 6 seismic sensors -- and confirmed that they are generating good data.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Still Silent, Team Still Hopeful
It’s now been more than six and a half months that the longest-lived robot on another planet has been incommunicado.
InSight update, sols 1-24: Operations begin, first instrument deployed
It’s been a busy first three weeks on the InSight mission, and they’ve already achieved a major milestone: placing the seismometer on the ground. They've also gathered a self-portrait and 360-degree panorama.