Sand Dunes on Mars
February 7, 2012 | NASA
This enhanced-color image shows sand dunes trapped in an impact crater in Noachis Terra, Mars. Dunes and sand ripples of various shapes and sizes display the natural beauty created by physical processes.
Related: Sand dunes on Saturn’s Moon Titan |
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A Meteorite from Mars
January 18, 2012 | Voice of America
In July, 2011 a meteor broke-up during its descent through Earth’s atmosphere, dropping debris on the Moroccan desert. Fragments of the meteorite were recovered and NASA has confirmed that they are fragments of Mars. |
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Meteorite Impacts Trigger Avalanches on Mars
December 22, 2011 | University of Arizona
“When a meteorite careens toward the dusty surface of the Red Planet, it kicks up dust and can cause avalanching even before the rock from outer space hits the ground…” Quoted from the University of Arizona press release. |
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Student Activities for Curiosity Rover
December 22, 2011 | SciNews
The new issue of SciNews has an activity about NASA’s Curiosity Rover and it’s recent launch to Mars! In the lesson students decide which landing site to send Curiosity to based on a .KMZ for Google Mars.
The purpose of SCINEWS is to provide middle and high school teachers timely, pre-packaged lessons on a science current event (such as an oil spill, earthquake, or shuttle launch) that are short (~15 min), easy to implement, and align to AZ state standards. |
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Russian Satellite Falling Out of Orbit
December 18, 2011 | LA Times
A Russian satellite is falling out of orbit after a mission to Phobos, a moon of Mars failed last month. It is one of the heaviest satellites ever launched and is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere in early January. |
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Rover Discovers Gypsum Veins on Mars
December 7, 2011 | NASA
NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity discovered gypsum veins on Mars that indicate the ancient movement of water through underground fractures. |
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Moving Sand Dunes on Mars
November 30, 2011 | NASA
New images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show sand dunes moving across the surface of Mars at dozens of locations. The images are providing new information about the power and frequency of surface winds on Mars. |
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NASA Launches a New Rover
November 27, 2011 | NASA
Following the success of Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, NASA has launched another rover on an expedition to Mars. Curiosity is a car-sized rover that has many more capabilities.
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Teacher’s Webinar: Searching for Life on Mars
November 21, 2011 | NASA / NSTA
This web seminar for teachers of grades 5–8 students includes an inquiry-based lesson introducing you to life forms living in extreme environments. |
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ESA Image
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Mars: Tharsis Tholus Volcano
November 10, 2011 | European Space Agency
The Mars Express spacecraft has returned an image of Tharsis Tholus, an extinct volcano on the surface of Mars. The image reveals a number of interesting structural features that are described in an article on the European Space Agency website. |
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Liquid Water on Ancient Mars? Data from a Martian Meteorite
October 14, 2011 | California Institute of Technology
“By analyzing carbonate minerals in a four-billion-year-old meteorite that originated near the surface of Mars, the scientists determined that the minerals formed at about 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit).” |
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Mapping Fresh Water Below Kuwait’s Desert
September 15, 2011 | NASA
“A NASA-led team has used radar sounding technology developed to explore the subsurface of Mars to create high-resolution maps of freshwater aquifers buried deep beneath an Earth desert, in the first use of airborne sounding radar for aquifer mapping.” Quoted from the NASA press release. |
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Image of a Delta on Mars
September 3, 2011 | European Space Agency
The European Space Agency has released a nice image of a stream-built delta located in the Eberswalde Crater that formed when the crater was occupied by a lake. Link to the image. |
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Mars Exploration Rover at Endeavour Crater
August 23, 2011 | NASA
“After a journey of almost three years, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached the Red Planet’s Endeavour crater to study rocks never seen before. [...] At Endeavour, scientists expect to see much older rocks and terrains than those examined by Opportunity during its first seven years on Mars.” Quoted from the NASA press release. |
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Mars Rover Opportunity Reaches Endeavour Crater
August 12, 2011 | NASA
“After a journey of almost three years, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached the Red Planet’s Endeavour crater to study rocks never seen before.” The crater shown in the image at right is a small impact site known as “Skylab Crater”. Quote from the NASA press release. |
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Does Water Flow On Mars?
August 10, 2011 | NASA
“Observations from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed possible flowing water during the warmest months on Mars.” Quoted from the NASA new release.
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Mars Rover Curiosity to Land at Gale Crater
July 24, 2011 | NASA
“NASA’s next Mars rover will land at the foot of a layered mountain inside the planet’s Gale Crater. The car-sized Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity, is scheduled to launch late this year and land in August 2012.” Quoted from the NASA press release. |
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Landing Site for the New Mars Rover
July 19, 2011 | NASA
NASA and the Smithsonian will host a news conference on Friday to announce the landing site for the new Mars Rover. Named “Curiosity” the new rover “will study whether the landing region had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life and for preserving clues about whether life existed. [...] NASA’s next Mars rover will land either beside the site of a former river delta or beside a mountain of stacked layers.” Quoted from the NASA press release. |
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The Rapid Formation of Mars
June 8, 2011 | National Science Foundation
“Mars developed in as little as two to four million years after the birth of the solar system, far more quickly than Earth. [...] The red planet’s rapid formation helps explain why it is so small. [...] Mars probably is not a terrestrial planet like Earth, which grew to its full size over 50 to 100 million years via collisions with other small bodies in the solar system.” Quoted from the NSF press release. |
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Curiosity: The Next Mars Rover
May 31, 2011 | NASA/JPL
“Two digital color cameras riding high on the mast of NASA’s next Mars rover will complement each other in showing the surface of Mars in exquisite detail. They are the left and right eyes of the Mast Camera, or Mastcam, instrument on the Curiosity rover of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, launching in late 2011.” Quoted from the NASA press release. |
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