Tag Archives: Mars

The Wisdom in X-rays

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Markus Hammonds is a final year PhD student in Molecular Astrophysics who’s normally found blogging at Supernova Condensate. He spends his life looking at very small things on very large scales, and trying to better understand the chemistry of interstellar space.

Isaac Newton taught us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. What he didn’t mention, however, was the fact that this is true for more than just physics. It’s an unfortunate fact in the academic world, that science costs money. Typically, the better or more exciting the feat being attempted, the more expensive it is. While as scientists we all have to learn to accept this, it still comes as little consolation to those who get caught in the aftermath of cancelled projects. Continue reading →

Comparing planets: could there be life on Mars?

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David Rothery is a geologist and planetary scientist at the Open University.  He chairs the Open University’s level 2 module on planetary science and is a leading member of the science team for BepiColombo, Europe’s forthcoming orbital mission to Mercury. His books include Planets: A Very Short Introduction, Geology: the Key Ideas, and Teach Yourself Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis. Cross posted with permission from OUPblog. 

I’ve seen proud posts on the internet from people who saw five planets with the naked eye this Spring. Venus and Jupiter could hardly be missed in the west after sunset, though Mercury was more elusive as it never strays very far from the Sun and is smaller and fainter. Later in the evening Mars and then Saturn have been rising high in the east. Continue reading →

Exomars and the History of Mars Exploration – Can Russia Help?

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Amy Shira Teitel is an historian of spaceflight, blogger and freelance writer passionate about making space history accessible to everyone. She blogs at Vintage Space where she chronicles her love of space history and space exploration, and she’s currently working on a book about NASA’s pursuit of runway landings during the space race. In the meantime, her work appears regularly on Discovery News, Motherboard, and America Space.

 
In February, President Obama revealed NASA’s budget for 2013. At $17.7 billion the agency is taking a hit, but the biggest loser is the agency’s Mars program which has been allocated $318 million less than last year. This funding cut has forced NASA out of ExoMars, the joint mission with the European Space Agency (ESA) designed to culminate with a sample return mission. Without NASA, ESA is left in pieces; the US agency was responsible for the launch vehicles and interplanetary spacecraft, not to mention substantial funding. Now, ESA is hoping the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos will take NASA’s place. This partnership could be without payoff since neither country has had great luck with Mars. Particularly Russia, whose missions have been thwarted by the mythical galactic ghoul. Continue reading →