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Mars

Mars imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope during a close approach to Earth.

New Research

Salty Water Under the Surface of Mars Could Have Enough Oxygen for Life

New models suggest subsurface water could absorb enough oxygen to support microbial communities and even things like sponges

New Research

Explorers Will Face Dangerous Amounts of Radiation On Their Trip to Mars

New data from the Mars Trace Gas Orbiter shows just the flight there and back alone will expose astronauts to 60 percent the lifetime radiation dose

An eroded area of the Medusae Fossae Formation.

New Research

Most of Mars’ Dust Comes From One Place

Erosion of the Medusae Fossae Formation has, over billions of years, likely covered the entire planet in 10 feet of volcanic dust

Mars' south polar cap as it appeared to the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on April 17, 2000. Strong evidence of an underground lake was found nearby.

Compelling Evidence Suggests There’s a Liquid Lake Beneath Mars’ Surface

But do the findings hold water?

These two views from NASA’s Curiosity rover, acquired specifically to measure the amount of dust inside Gale Crater, show that dust has increased over three days from a major Martian dust storm. The images were taken by the rover’s Mastcam.

Massive, ‘Unprecedented’ Dust Storm Puts Mars Rover at Risk

Engineers have not received any transmissions from the Opportunity rover since Sunday

Illustration of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight).

Five Things to Know About NASA’s InSight Mission to Mars

This Saturday, the craft will launch on its mission to search for clues about the Red Planet’s interior

This self-portrait of Curiosity shows the vehicle at a drilled sample site called "Okoruso," on the "Naukluft Plateau" of lower Mount Sharp. It combines multiple images taken with the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on May 11, 2016, during the 1,338th Martian day.

Looking Back at Curiosity’s 2,000 Martian Days on the Red Planet

The rover has taken incredible images and made wild discoveries since landing in 2012

How Do You Make Beer in Space?

Strap on your beer goggles and join us on a hops-fueled rocket ride

NASA’s Psyche mission to a distant metal asteroid that pass near Mars will carry a revolutionary Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) package. This artist’s concept shows Psyche spacecraft with a five-panel array.

NASA Plans to Send High-Definition Video of Mars to Earth With Lasers

In 2022, NASA will launch the Psyche mission, carrying sophisticated communication technology

A cross-section of underground ice is exposed at the steep slope that appears bright blue in this enhanced-color view from the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Huge Deposits of Ice Found Just Beneath Mars’ Surface

Erosion has exposed eight sites of enormous quantities of water ice

At JPL's Mars Yard testing area, two spacecraft engineers Matt Robinson (left) and Wesley Kuykendall with test rovers Soujourner at center, test sibling to Spirit and Opportunity, left, and Curiosity, right.

Think Mountain Time’s Confusing? Try Living on Martian Time

Smithsonian’s latest podcast “AirSpace” digs into the zany work schedules of the men and women on NASA’s Mars rover projects

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai soon after its formation in 2015

New Research

How the Rapidly Changing Shape of This New Island Could Teach Us About Mars

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai has lasted longer than it should, and the processes that formed the island are of interest to NASA

Apollo 17's Saturn V launch vehicle sits atop pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Apollo 17 Was the Swan Song of Manned Space Exploration

Looking back 45 years later, is there hope humanity will once again push beyond Earth? President Donald Trump seems to think so

Earthworms Reproduce in Faux Mars Soil For the First Time

A vital component of healthy Earth gardens, scientists are testing their resilience in the harsh Red Planet environment

The dark, narrow streaks were once thought to be caused by flowing water. But a new study suggests they are just rolling sand.

Mars’ Streaks of Flowing Water May Actually Be Sand

Scientists have debated for years if—and how much—water could exist on the Red Planet

Off to court…

Why NASA Needs To Establish Martian Law

Future Mars colonists may want to form their own legal system. What would stop them?

Astronauts traveling to Mars may be able to pack a little lighter with microbes that could make nutrients and the building blocks of plastic.

New Research

Could Astronauts Harvest Nutrients From Their Waste?

A new study suggests that modified yeast feeding on human waste can make useful byproducts for long missions in space

The Sun is seen setting through the Martian atmosphere by the Curiosity rover. Nighttime can bring turbulent snowstorms in the planet's atmosphere

Violent Snowstorms May Rack the Martian Night

Simulations show how the water snow falling on Mars may fall much differently than we’re used to here on Earth

The Mars Rover Concept Vehicle was created as a traveling exhibit to inspire future space explorers.

A Vehicle Like This Will One Day Go to Mars

For now, the prototype rover—part tank, part Batmobile—is destined for Washington, D.C.

Researchers tested the fungus that grew in this isolated habitat as four people lived in it for a month.

Space-Bound Humans Bring Fungus Aboard—And the Stowaways Could Cause Trouble

Microscopic life is everywhere, but it could be dangerous for future astronauts bound for Mars

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