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ESCAPADE Mission Launches for a Long Trip to Mars
A small but unique mission to Mars is taking an innovative path to reach the Red Planet in late 2027.
The post ESCAPADE Mission Launches for a Long Trip to Mars appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4675-4681: Deciding Where to Dig Into the Boxworks
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3 min read
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4675-4681: Deciding Where to Dig Into the Boxworks NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera, showing the three types of geologic features that have held the mission team’s attention for months — a bright, arcuate boxwork ridge, a darker, sand-filled hollow, and, in the distance, the “Mishe Mokwa” butte. Curiosity captured the image on Oct. 2, 2025 — Sol 4677, or Martian day 4,677 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 15:49:32 UTC. NASA/JPL-CaltechWritten by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator at Framework
Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 3, 2025
Before Curiosity landed 13 years ago, the science team eyed all the geologic wonders scattered across the flanks of Mount Sharp and looked forward to the day when we could put the rover to work on them. We have visited so many of these wonders — valleys, river channels, lakebeds — and found a few that we were not expecting.
Since Sol 4600, we have been exploring the heart of one of these long-awaited wonders — the boxwork structures — to uncover what created this expansive network of ridges and hollows. Each stop along the traverse since then has been an exercise in systematic detective work.
APXS and ChemCam analyses from the center of a ridge, to its edges, and into its neighboring hollow looked for chemical variations that indicate what is holding the ridges together, making them higher than the hollows. Mastcam and ChemCam RMI imaging mapped the architecture of the ridges and hollows looking for structures that provide clues to their formation. Their imaging of more distant features such as the buttes that rise hundreds of meters on either side of the valley hosting the boxworks helped define the geologic context of the area. MAHLI imaging of ridge and hollow targets sought variations in grain size that might indicate how the boxwork bedrock was deposited. DAN surveyed the ground under the rover at every stop, measuring hydrogen (and thus assumed, water) content to see how it varies between ridges and hollows.
This week, the team ingested all the results from this thorough exploration to make a decision about our next drill site, where SAM and CheMin will have their chance to interrogate the boxworks. The rover will head north to the “Monte Grande” hollow in which we identified promising bedrock for sampling. Eventually, we will drill a ridge but that is for a future blog. Comparing the mineralogy, volatile content, and organic chemistry of the ridges and hollows will give us our most detailed insight into how the boxworks formed.
REMS and RAD do not particularly care if they are parked over a ridge or hollow, as the sky above is their domain. Both instruments kept their steady watch on the weather — Martian and space, respectively. Navcam and Mastcam helped with the environmental watch by measuring dust in the atmosphere, looking for dust devils, and capturing the last of the cloudy season.
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7 hours ago
3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4668-4674: Winding Our Way Along
Article
1 month ago
5 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4661-4667: Peaking Into the Hollows
Article
2 months ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…
All Mars Resources
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…
Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4675-4681: Deciding Where to Dig Into the Boxworks
- Curiosity Home
- Science
- News and Features
- Multimedia
- Mars Missions
- Mars Home
3 min read
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4675-4681: Deciding Where to Dig Into the Boxworks NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera, showing the three types of geologic features that have held the mission team’s attention for months — a bright, arcuate boxwork ridge, a darker, sand-filled hollow, and, in the distance, the “Mishe Mokwa” butte. Curiosity captured the image on Oct. 2, 2025 — Sol 4677, or Martian day 4,677 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 15:49:32 UTC. NASA/JPL-CaltechWritten by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator at Framework
Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 3, 2025
Before Curiosity landed 13 years ago, the science team eyed all the geologic wonders scattered across the flanks of Mount Sharp and looked forward to the day when we could put the rover to work on them. We have visited so many of these wonders — valleys, river channels, lakebeds — and found a few that we were not expecting.
Since Sol 4600, we have been exploring the heart of one of these long-awaited wonders — the boxwork structures — to uncover what created this expansive network of ridges and hollows. Each stop along the traverse since then has been an exercise in systematic detective work.
APXS and ChemCam analyses from the center of a ridge, to its edges, and into its neighboring hollow looked for chemical variations that indicate what is holding the ridges together, making them higher than the hollows. Mastcam and ChemCam RMI imaging mapped the architecture of the ridges and hollows looking for structures that provide clues to their formation. Their imaging of more distant features such as the buttes that rise hundreds of meters on either side of the valley hosting the boxworks helped define the geologic context of the area. MAHLI imaging of ridge and hollow targets sought variations in grain size that might indicate how the boxwork bedrock was deposited. DAN surveyed the ground under the rover at every stop, measuring hydrogen (and thus assumed, water) content to see how it varies between ridges and hollows.
This week, the team ingested all the results from this thorough exploration to make a decision about our next drill site, where SAM and CheMin will have their chance to interrogate the boxworks. The rover will head north to the “Monte Grande” hollow in which we identified promising bedrock for sampling. Eventually, we will drill a ridge but that is for a future blog. Comparing the mineralogy, volatile content, and organic chemistry of the ridges and hollows will give us our most detailed insight into how the boxworks formed.
REMS and RAD do not particularly care if they are parked over a ridge or hollow, as the sky above is their domain. Both instruments kept their steady watch on the weather — Martian and space, respectively. Navcam and Mastcam helped with the environmental watch by measuring dust in the atmosphere, looking for dust devils, and capturing the last of the cloudy season.
-
Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team?
-
Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments?
Article
7 hours ago
3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4668-4674: Winding Our Way Along
Article
1 month ago
5 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4661-4667: Peaking Into the Hollows
Article
2 months ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…
All Mars Resources
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…
Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
New Research Helps Narrow the Search for Elusive Neutrino Sources
A research team has conducted the first systematic search for optical counterparts to a neutrino "multiplet," a rare event in which multiple high-energy neutrinos are detected from the same direction within a short period. The event was observed by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a massive detector buried deep within the Antarctic ice.
Blue Origin’s NASA Launch to Mars Is a Shot across the Bow for Elon Musk’s SpaceX
After delays, Jeff Bezos’s rocket company successfully launched a NASA mission to study Mars on Thursday
A Robotic Helping Hand
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim took this photo on July 23, 2025, as the International Space Station orbited 259 miles above a cloudy Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico. Visible in the image is the 57.7-foot-long Canadarm2 robotic arm, which extends from a data grapple fixture on the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Attached to its latching end effector is Dextre, the station’s fine-tuned robotic hand designed for delicate external maintenance tasks. Station crew use Canadarm2 to perform maintenance tasks, capture visiting spacecraft, and move supplies, equipment, and even astronauts.
On Nov. 2, 2025, the space station reached 25 years of continuous human presence. The orbital lab remains a training and proving ground for deep space missions, enabling NASA to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars.
Image credit: NASA/Jonny Kim
A Robotic Helping Hand
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim took this photo on July 23, 2025, as the International Space Station orbited 259 miles above a cloudy Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico. Visible in the image is the 57.7-foot-long Canadarm2 robotic arm, which extends from a data grapple fixture on the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Attached to its latching end effector is Dextre, the station’s fine-tuned robotic hand designed for delicate external maintenance tasks. Station crew use Canadarm2 to perform maintenance tasks, capture visiting spacecraft, and move supplies, equipment, and even astronauts.
On Nov. 2, 2025, the space station reached 25 years of continuous human presence. The orbital lab remains a training and proving ground for deep space missions, enabling NASA to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars.
Image credit: NASA/Jonny Kim
A Robotic Helping Hand
More Research Shows That Enceladus Has A Stable Ocean That Could Host Life
Is Saturn's moon Enceladus habitable? There's ample evidence that the moon holds a warm ocean underneath its frozen surface, and that the building blocks of life are present in that ocean. But for life to arise and persist, the ocean needs to sustain itself for a long time, and new research shows that's exactly what's happening.
Are Turkeys at Risk of Bird Flu This Thanksgiving?
Nearly two million U.S. turkeys have died from bird flu in recent months. An agricultural economist explains what ongoing outbreaks could mean for Thanksgiving meals
Dog Skull Analysis Rewrites Evolution of Humanity’s Best Friend
A surprising diversity of dog shapes and sizes evolved long before the Victorians began making modern breeds
Jeffrey Epstein E-mails Reveal Ties to Prominent Scientists
A trove of e-mails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released by a congressional committee on Wednesday
If The Supernova Standard Candle Is Wrong, It Could Solve The Hubble Tension
New evidence suggests the standard model of cosmology is wrong, but the results could resolve the long-standing Hubble Tension problem in modern cosmology.
‘Godfather of AI’ Breaks Major Science Research Record
The milestone makes machine-learning trailblazer Yoshua Bengio the most cited researcher on Google Scholar
A Stranger in Our Midst?
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Written by Candice Bedford, Research Scientist at Purdue University
Oct. 1, 2025
During the rover’s recent investigation of the bedrock at “Vernodden,” Perseverance encountered an unusually shaped rock about 80 centimeters across (about 31 inches) called “Phippsaksla.” This rock was identified as a target of interest based on its sculpted, high-standing appearance that differed from that of the low-lying, flat and fragmented surrounding rocks. Last week, Perseverance targeted Phippsaksla with the SuperCam instrument revealing that it is high in iron and nickel. This element combination is usually associated with iron-nickel meteorites formed in the core of large asteroids, suggesting that this rock formed elsewhere in the solar system.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the unusually shaped rock, “Phippsaksla,” in the distance at upper left, which is suspected to be a meteorite because of its high iron and nickel content. Perseverance captured the image using its Left Mastcam-Z camera, one of a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s mast, on Sept. 2, 2025 — Sol 1612, or Martian day 1,612 of the Mars 2020 mission — at the local mean solar time of 12:45:41. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUThis is not the first time a rover has encountered an exotic rock on Mars. The Curiosity rover has identified many iron-nickel meteorites across its traverse in Gale crater including the 1-meter wide (about 39 inches) “Lebanon” meteorite back in 2014 and the “Cacao” meteorite spotted in 2023. Both Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, also found iron-nickel meteorites during their missions. As such, it has been somewhat unexpected that Perseverance had not seen iron-nickel meteorites within Jezero crater, particularly given its similar age to Gale crater and number of smaller impact craters suggesting that meteorites did fall on the crater floor, delta, and crater rim throughout time. Now, on the outside of the crater, atop bedrock known to have formed from impact processes in the past, Perseverance has potentially found one. Due to the exotic composition of this rock, more investigation by the team needs to be done to confirm its status as a meteorite. But if this rock is deemed to be a meteorite Perseverance can at long last add itself to the list of Mars rovers who have investigated the fragments of rocky visitors to Mars.
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Want to read more posts from the Perseverance team?
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Article
1 month ago
5 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4661-4667: Peaking Into the Hollows
Article
2 months ago
1 min read The Ancient Mars Variety Show
Article
2 months ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA All Mars Resources
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…
Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
Mars Perseverance Rover
The Mars Perseverance rover is the first leg the Mars Sample Return Campaign’s interplanetary relay team. Its job is to…
A Stranger in Our Midst?
- Perseverance Home
- Science
- News and Features
- Multimedia
- Mars Missions
- Mars Home
Written by Candice Bedford, Research Scientist at Purdue University
Oct. 1, 2025
During the rover’s recent investigation of the bedrock at “Vernodden,” Perseverance encountered an unusually shaped rock about 80 centimeters across (about 31 inches) called “Phippsaksla.” This rock was identified as a target of interest based on its sculpted, high-standing appearance that differed from that of the low-lying, flat and fragmented surrounding rocks. Last week, Perseverance targeted Phippsaksla with the SuperCam instrument revealing that it is high in iron and nickel. This element combination is usually associated with iron-nickel meteorites formed in the core of large asteroids, suggesting that this rock formed elsewhere in the solar system.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the unusually shaped rock, “Phippsaksla,” in the distance at upper left, which is suspected to be a meteorite because of its high iron and nickel content. Perseverance captured the image using its Left Mastcam-Z camera, one of a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s mast, on Sept. 2, 2025 — Sol 1612, or Martian day 1,612 of the Mars 2020 mission — at the local mean solar time of 12:45:41. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUThis is not the first time a rover has encountered an exotic rock on Mars. The Curiosity rover has identified many iron-nickel meteorites across its traverse in Gale crater including the 1-meter wide (about 39 inches) “Lebanon” meteorite back in 2014 and the “Cacao” meteorite spotted in 2023. Both Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, also found iron-nickel meteorites during their missions. As such, it has been somewhat unexpected that Perseverance had not seen iron-nickel meteorites within Jezero crater, particularly given its similar age to Gale crater and number of smaller impact craters suggesting that meteorites did fall on the crater floor, delta, and crater rim throughout time. Now, on the outside of the crater, atop bedrock known to have formed from impact processes in the past, Perseverance has potentially found one. Due to the exotic composition of this rock, more investigation by the team needs to be done to confirm its status as a meteorite. But if this rock is deemed to be a meteorite Perseverance can at long last add itself to the list of Mars rovers who have investigated the fragments of rocky visitors to Mars.
-
Want to read more posts from the Perseverance team?
-
Want to learn more about Perseverance’s science instruments?
Article
1 month ago
5 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4661-4667: Peaking Into the Hollows
Article
2 months ago
1 min read The Ancient Mars Variety Show
Article
2 months ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA All Mars Resources
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…
Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
Mars Perseverance Rover
The Mars Perseverance rover is the first leg the Mars Sample Return Campaign’s interplanetary relay team. Its job is to…
What Causes Cancer? Maud Slye Thought She Had the Answer and a Way to Stop It
After studying mice in the 1910s, Maude Slye concluded that vulnerability to cancer was hereditary. She thought she had a solution to eliminate it, but she made some crucial mistakes
Chinese Expedition Reveals Unexplored Section of Mysterious Arctic Ocean Ridge
Oceanographers hope to find otherworldly ecosystems at hydrothermal vents on the Arctic seafloor
The Rust That Could Reveal Alien Life
Iron rusts. On Earth, this common chemical reaction often signals the presence of something far more interesting than just corroding metal for example, living microorganisms that make their living by manipulating iron atoms. Now researchers argue these microbial rust makers could provide some of the most promising biosignatures for detecting life on Mars and the icy moons of the outer Solar System.
The Search for Worlds in the Making
Astronomers have deployed a survey with the most memorable and tasty acronym in astrophysics - SPAM, The Search for Protoplanets with Aperture Masking - to catch planets in the act of being born. Using Keck Observatory's most powerful instruments, researchers have just captured the closest ever view of a protoplanetary disk 400 light years away, revealing a telltale gap and clumpy structures that hint at a world coalescing from interstellar dust.
