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Hot Topic
Solar System
Mars
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Orbit Determines Climate
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| Topic: Mars |
12/10/08 |
| New research shows evidence of ancient climate change on Mars caused by variations in the planet's tilt relative to the sun. The findings may help scientists understand if Mars was habitable for life at some point in the planet's past. |
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MSL Delayed
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| Topic: Mars |
12/07/08 |
| NASA has pushed back the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) until the fall of 2011. The original launch window is not possible because additional testing must be performed to ensure mission success. On Mars, MSL will study the early martian environment. |
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Simulating Mars on Earth
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| Topic: Mars |
12/04/08 |
| By simulating conditions at and below the surface of Mars, experiments now suggest that bacterial life could exist below its sterile surface layer of soil. |
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Buried Martian Glaciers
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| Topic: Mars |
11/25/08 |
| NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified vast glaciers of water ice hidden beneath blankets of rocky debris on the martian surface. The glaciers are present at much lower latitudes than any ice previously found on Mars. |
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The Ancient Oceans of Mars
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| Topic: Mars |
11/22/08 |
| Gamma-ray data from NASA's Mars Odyssey indicates that an ocean once covered one third of Mars' surface. If liquid water was indeed present, Mars might have been habitable for life in its past. |
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Baking the Rover is Not an Option
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| Topic: Mars |
11/20/08 |
| The next-generation Mars rover will visit the Red Planet to sniff out the smallest traces of organic material – the building blocks of life. Trouble is, the Mars Science Laboratory is made from several kilograms of organic material from Earth. |
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Carbonate Conundrum
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| Topic: Mars |
11/17/08 |
| NASA´s Phoenix lander mission is now over, and scientists are analyzing the data collected from its various experiments. Phoenix's discovery of carbonates in the frozen northern soil of Mars indicates the area once could have had liquid water. |
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A Divining Rod for Mars
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| Topic: Mars |
11/13/08 |
| Mars may have water underground but exactly where it is located is not known. An instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory will use neutrons to help spy for the water. |
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Phoenix Stops Phoning Home
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| Topic: Mars |
11/12/08 |
| After five months, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has stopped communicating. With the seasonal decline of sunlight in the martian arctic, Phoenix no longer has enough power to charge its batteries. |
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Phoenix Powers Down
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| Topic: Mars |
11/02/08 |
| Engineers hope to extend the life of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander by gradually shutting down some of its instruments and heaters. Phoenix has already been studying Mars two months longer than initially planned. |
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