JPL News: Proposed 2020 Mars Rover Science Goals
Published on Jul 9, 2013
A team of scientists and engineers gives proposals for NASA's 2020 Mars rover mission.
JPL News: Proposed 2020 Mars Rover Science Goals
Published on Jul 9, 2013
A team of scientists and engineers gives proposals for NASA's 2020 Mars rover mission.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24165219
Curiosity rover has failed to detect methane in the atmosphere of Mars, which other telescopes are said to see, and by a factor of 6. If there were current production of methane to any extent there should be methane within the atmosphere where Curiosity is roving. There may be a chance that the methane level is lower than the detector on Curiosity and that methane is concentrated in the upper atmosphere of Mars, but that would be very low and below what would be expected of any common source in the ground of Mars.
History of fresh water on Mars?
Mars viewing update.
NBC News: Red Planet Rising: Mars Shines Brighter Than It Has in Years
If you want to see Mars at its best, now's your time: This month, the Red Planet looks bigger and brighter than it has for the past six years.
That may sound like the Great Mars Hoax — the occasional (and totally false) claim that Mars will loom as big as the moon in the night sky. But in this case, the claim is totally true. This month, Mars will have its closest encounter with Earth since December 2007.
The reason has to do with orbital mechanics. As Earth and Mars trace their elliptical orbits around the sun, the distance between the two planets varies dramatically. There are times when the separation amounts to almost 250 million miles (400 million kilometers). On April 14, that separation narrows to a mere 57 million miles (92 million kilometers).
"These opportunities only come about every two years," said Alan MacRobert, senior editor for Sky & Telescope magazine. "Most of the time, Mars is pretty darn far away."
Mars is easy to spot in the night sky: For skywatchers living in mid-northern latitudes, it sparkles like a yellow-orange gem in the southeast just after dark. By the middle of the month, the planet will get as bright as the star Sirius. Mars is currently moving through the constellation Virgo — which means it makes a pretty pairing with Spica, a nearby blue-white star.
Click here for entire article at NBC News: Red Planet Rising: Mars Shines Brighter Than It Has in Years
Is There Life On Mars?
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Ima...es_Chasma_mesa
http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/i...hasma_mesa.jpg
Detail of the odd square depression in Hebes Chasma as posted on Earthfiles.com site.
http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/i...bes_Chasma.jpg
Context view of Hebes Chasma, the area of the detail is uncertain by first inspection. There are several squarish sites that are visible but do not match the detail area. This would seem to be a possible alien mining site given the odd detail, but of course there should be a natural explanation shouldn't there? This image was taken some time ago by Mars Express and released on October 10, 2013. images © by ESA, DLR, FU Berlin and G. Neukum.