A Journal of the Martian Frontier

MarsNews.com – Latest News

• How NASA Solved a $100 Million Problem for Five Bucks January 31, 2012
  A few years ago, back when the Constellation Program was still alive, NASA engineers discovered that the Ares I rocket had a crucial flaw, one that could have jeopardized the entire project. They panicked. They plotted. They steeled themselves for the hundreds of millions of dollars it was going to take to make things right. And then they found out how to fi […]
• Russia blames radiation for space probe failure January 31, 2012
  The head of Russia's space agency said Tuesday that cosmic radiation was the most likely cause of the failure of a Mars moon probe that crashed to Earth this month, and suggested that a low-quality imported component may have been vulnerable to the radiation. The unmanned Phobos-Grunt probe was to have gone to the Mars moon of Phobos, taken soil samples […]
• Op/Ed: How Much Is an Astronaut’s Life Worth? January 29, 2012
  If we could put a man on the Moon, why can’t we put a man on the Moon? Starting with near zero space capability in 1961, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) put men on our companion world in eight years. Yet despite vastly superior technology and hundreds of billions of dollars in subsequent spending, the agency has been unable to send a […]
• Mars-Bound Instrument Detects Solar Burst's Effects January 27, 2012
  The largest solar particle event since 2005 has been detected by the radiation- monitoring instrument aboard the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, on its way from Earth to Mars. The Radiation Assessment Detector, inside the mission's Curiosity rover tucked inside the spacecraft, is measuring the radiation exposure that could affect a human astronaut o […]
• SLS Exploration Roadmap evaluations provide clues for human Mars missions January 25, 2012
  As NASA managers continue to work through the evaluations into an exploration roadmap for the agency, the end goal of sending humans to Mars is starting to show a level of consistency. Per documentation, the key Design Reference Mission (DRM) evaluations are pointing to the “Flexible Path” approach of visiting a Martian moon, prior to landing humans on Mars […]
• Opportunity’s eight years on Mars: A story of science and endurance January 25, 2012
  Eight years ago today (January 25, 2004), the Mars Exploration Rover -B (MER -B) slammed into the Martian atmosphere and executed a successful Entry, Descent, and Landing on the Red Planet – beginning what was supposed to be 90 days of science operations on the surface of Mars. Eight years and 2,922 Earth-days later, Opportunity continues its mission of expl […]
• Romney, Gingrich Weigh In On Space Exploration January 24, 2012
  The two leading Republican candidates vying to take on President Barack Obama in this year's presidential election turned to the topic of space during a debate last night in Tampa, Fla. "This president has failed miserably the people of Florida," said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. "His plans for NASA? He has no plans for NASA. Th […]
• Research participants sought for 120-day Mars analog habitat study January 22, 2012
  Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Cornell University are seeking applicants for a NASA-funded Mars analog habitat study, Hawaiʻi Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS. The study will investigate the impact of food preparation, food monotony, nasal congestion and smelling acuity on food and nutrient intake in isolated, conf […]
• ASU's Center for Meteorite Studies acquires exotic piece of Mars January 18, 2012
  Arizona State University’s Center for Meteorite Studies has acquired a significant new sample for its collection, a rare martian meteorite that fell in southern Morocco in July 2011. It is the first martian fall in around fifty years. Since the observed fall of the famed Ensisheim meteorite in 1492, there have been around 1,200 recovered meteorite falls. A “ […]
• Morocco fireball yields rare Mars meteorites January 18, 2012
  A meteorite that fell to Earth last July in Morocco has proven to be a rare chunk of Mars. Only a handful of Martian meteorites are known, and only five (counting the new find) come from meteorites whose fall was witnessed. That’s important because it tells scientists how long it has been lying on the ground, and therefore how much contamination it might hav […]
• Most important scientific study ever: What about farting astronauts? January 16, 2012
  Humans produce two flammable gases: hydrogen and methane. Flammable gases accumulate in an enclosed space and can ignite. Astronauts are humans who spend lots of time in enclosed space. The logic is irrefutable. So, what's the risk to farting astronauts? […]
• Palestine students work with NASA on future Martian colony January 16, 2012
  It’s not every day that middle school students get a chance to talk to NASA engineers — learning about space exploration to Mars in particular. Thanks to a pilot program brought to Palestine Independent School District by ICEE Success (Institute where Creativity Empowers Education Success), David Delgado, outreach coordinator for NASA’s Mars Public Engagemen […]
• Phobos-Grunt: Failed Russian Mars Probe Falls to Earth January 16, 2012
  Somewhere, probably in the southern Pacific between New Zealand and South America, the failed Russian Phobos-Grunt Mars probe returned ignominiously to Earth today, said the Russian space agency Roscosmos and the U.S. Space Command. The agencies said they believed the ship reentered the atmosphere shortly before 1 p.m. ET. […]
• Failed Russia Mars probe set to crash today January 15, 2012
  Russia's space agency on Sunday called off all predictions of the likely crash site of its ill-fated Mars probe only hours before the 13.5-tonne spacecraft was due to begin its fatal descent. Roscosmos said on its website that fragments of the stranded Phobos-Grunt voyager would probably fall to Earth on Sunday between 1436 GMT and 2224 GMT. But it canc […]
• Reports vary about failed Russian Mars probe’s reentry time January 15, 2012
  Doomed Russian Phobos-Grunt Mars probe that's been stuck in Earth orbit for two months may finally come crashing down on January 15 over the Pasific Ocean, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said on Saturday. Roscosmos said the spacecraft will fall within the eight-hour interval starting from 18:36 on Sunday Moscow time [14:36 GMT] to 2:24 on Monday [22:24 […]