Curiosity Assesses a Small Plastic Object Found on the Surface of Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover continues to assess a small plastic object discovered on the surface of Mars. It is believed that the object is something from…
Planetary Science News
Curiosity Prepares to Take Its First Scoop of Soil for Analysis
NASA scientists are preparing Curiosity to take its first scoop of soil for analysis, which will likely occur at the “Rocknest” site – a windblown,…
Titan Experiences Seasonal Changes
Astronomers have been researching Saturn’s moon Titan for roughly 30 years, discovering that the moon experiences seasonal changes that affect it more than previously thought….
Mysterious Cold Layer Discovered in the Atmosphere of Venus
Based on a new analysis of compiled data from ESA’s Venus Express, scientists have uncovered a very chilly layer high in Venus’s atmosphere with temperatures…
Catalog of Moon’s Craters May Reveal Ice Beyond Moon’s Poles
There might be more ice on the Moon than was previously thought. There are permanent shadows far from the lunar poles, which has expanded the…
Curiosity Finds Ancient Streambed on Mars
While examining two outcrops, called “Hottah” and “Link,” NASA’s Curiosity rover found evidence that a stream once ran between the north rim of Gale Crater…
Troughs Suggest Vesta Has Characteristics Like a Planet or Large Moon
Using data from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, scientists have been working hard to determine the story behind the enormous troughs that wrap around the giant asteroid…
Dawn Spacecraft Finds Traces of Water on Giant Asteroid Vesta
Vesta, the second most massive asteroid in the Solar System, after the dwarf planet Ceres, was thought to be a dry place, but the most…
NASA’s Dawn Mission Reveals Hydrated Minerals on Vesta
Two new papers based on observations from the low-altitude mapping orbit of the Dawn mission were recently published in the journal Science. One paper describes…
NASA’s Opportunity Discovers Geological Mystery on Mars
NASA’s Opportunity rover discovered puzzling spherical objects on Mars at a rock outcrop called Kirkwood. The spherules vary in composition, concentration, distribution, and structure from…
NASA Data Suggests “Dry Ice” Snowfall on Mars
Using data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists have detected carbon-dioxide snow clouds on Mars and evidence of carbon-dioxide snow falling to the surface. NASA’s…
“Habitable Zone” Might Help Extreme Life Forms Survive on Exoplanets
A newly published study examines the “habitable zone” that scientists believe might play a role in the survival of extreme life forms, like lichens and…
Chemical Makeup Impacts Evolution of the Host Star and Habitability of Planets That Orbit It
Newly published research from scientists at ASU suggests that the host star’s chemical makeup has a substantial impact on the evolution of the host star…
NASA’s Curiosity Prepares for Use of Its Arm and Tools
NASA engineers are planning to run Curiosity’s arm through six to 10 consecutive days of activities to test the 7-foot arm and the tools it…
NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers Multiple Transiting Planets Orbiting Two Suns
NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered multiple transiting planets orbiting two suns for the first time. The planets are in the Kepler-47 system, which is located…
Curiosity Sends Back Radioed Words and New Telephoto View of Mars
Using the 100-millimeter telephoto lens and the 34-millimeter wide angle lens of the Mast Camera instrument, Curiosity beamed back a new image of the base…
Curiosity’s ChemCam Laser Yields Good Results
The results are coming in and they look good. Scientists confirmed that the ChemCam laser on NASA’s Curiosity rover has produced strong, clear data about…
Kepler Data Used to Identify 41 New Transiting Planets
Using data from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, scientists have verified 41 new transiting planets in 20 star systems, ranging from Earth-size to more than seven…