Mars

Ten years ago this week, the Huygens probe gave scientists a first look at the icy surface beneath the haze of Saturn's moon Titan.

Best Space Photos of the Week: From Solar Flares to Saturn's Moons

A spitting sun, a well-loved lake and a happy accident on Mars star in this week's best space images

Scientists crouch with mock-ups of three generations of Mars rovers. Curiosity is the big one. Opportunity and Spirit were based on the medium-sized one on the left. The small one is front was the Sojourner rover.

NASA's Opportunity Rover Has Developed Robot Dementia

A problem with Opportunity's hardware means it only has short-term memory

These images show the planet on the last day of Martian spring in the northern hemisphere (just before summer solstice). The annual north polar carbon dioxide frost (dry ice) cap is rapidly sublimating, revealing the much smaller permanent water ice cap.

Examining Martian Meteorites, Scientists Think They’ve Found The Red Planet’s Missing Water

Mars may have an underground water reservoir

The Mars Rover Curiosity’s landing site in Gale Crater

Curiosity Rover’s Mars Crater May Have Cradled Large Lakes

Signs of water on Mars aren’t new, but now scientists think water may have been there for a long time

Curiosity is able to take pictures of itself on Mars using a camera mounted to its robotic arm. This mosaic was made from 55 snapshots taken in October 2012.

An Insider's Biography of a Celebrity Mars Rover

The chief engineer for Curiosity offers a peek at the NASA rover’s tumultuous rise to stardom in a new tell-all book

Astronaut Mae Jemison in the Spacelab in 1992.

The Case for Sending Women to Mars

Because women are smaller than men, they're cheaper to send into space

The Mangalyaan orbiter back when it was still on the ground.

India's Space Agency Made It to Mars on the First Try

India's Mangalyaan orbiter dropped into orbit around Mars last night

An artist's conception of MAVEN in orbit around Mars

Mars Just Got a New Robotic Explorer

NASA's MAVEN orbiter dropped into orbit last night

Sorry, rover. Planting a garden will have to wait.

Four Handy Tips for Growing Your Garden on Mars

Is it possible to have a green thumb on the Red Planet? Perhaps, after you’ve mastered a few space gardening tricks

Imagine Living on Mars In One of These Structures

You could call an acropolis, pyramid or beehive home

The Curiosity Rover Just Turned One Martian Year Old

Mars years are longer than Earth years

Introverts In Demand for Mars Missions

People who need lots of social stimulation might not be the best fit for long-term missions

Atlas V Launches the New Horizons Mission to Pluto.

Take a Peek Into the Future's Present With Our Live Coverage of Smithsonian's Two-Day Festival

The magazine's 2nd annual conference brings together experts, authors and visionaries in the fields of science, science fiction and technology.

Yardangs on Mars

What in the World (Or Off of It) Is a Yardang?

They're on Mars, they're beautiful and they have nothing to do with pirates

The new Mars rover, scheduled for 2020, is to be built on roughly the same platform as the Curiosity rover.

NASA's Going to Mars in 2020 And Wants to Bring Back Martian Rocks

The next NASA Mars rover, scheduled for 2020, may be the first step in a sample return mission

Lettuce growing aboard the International Space Station.

NASA Wants to Build a Greenhouse on Mars

A small greenhouse growing thale cress may be on its way to Mars by 2021

Long-Haul Space Flights Might Damage Astronauts' Brains

This warning is based on a study involving rats, but researchers think it could apply to humans as well

Mars’ Super-Thin Atmosphere May Mean that Flowing Water Was the Exception, Not the Rule

A new analysis suggests that Mars' atmosphere was often too thin to support liquid water

An artist's rendition of the ExoMars rover and its drill.

The Mars Curiosity Rover Is Getting a Buddy

The European Space Agency's ExoMars rover should launch in 2018

Jupiter's moon Europa, potentially home to a liquid water ocean, is considered one of the likeliest locales for extraterrestrial life.

Where in the Solar System Are We Most Likely to Find Life?

A number of interplanetary destinations could harbor extraterrestrial life—finding it could be just a space mission away

Page 11 of 13