Solar System Exploration: Solar System 101: Homework Helper

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The Red Planet
Mars is a cold desert world. It is half the diameter of Earth and has the same amount of dry land. Like Earth, Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons and weather, but its atmosphere is too thin for liquid water to exist for long on the surface. There are signs of ancient floods on Mars, but evidence for water now exists mainly in icy soil and thin clouds.

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50 Years of Robotic Planetary Exploration: Robert Mitchell (Cassini Program Manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
We asked them and here is what the experts had to say about the last 50 years of planetary robotic exploration.

"Slam Dunk" Sign of Ancient Water on Mars
As NASA's newest Mars rover Curiosity heads for the Red Planet, veteran rover Opportunity continues to make discoveries. Opportunity's latest find, an apparent vein of the mineral gypsum, is a "slam dunk" sign of past water on Mars, say researchers.

Mars Rover Well-Equipped for Studies
The Mars Science Laboratory is taking a toolbox to Mars that any researcher would be proud of. A drill, metallic brush and even a laser are part of the gear set the Mars Science Laboratory called Curiosity is taking to the red planet.

Preparing for Future Human Exploration: Measuring the Radiation Environment on Mars
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) led the development of the Radiation Assessment Detector, which will measure, for the first time, the radiation environment on the surface of Mars, measuring all the relevant energetic particle species.

New NASA Missions to Investigate How Mars Turned Hostile
Two new NASA missions, one that will roam the surface and another that will orbit the planet and dip briefly into its upper atmosphere, will try to discover what transformed Mars.

Launch Team Focuses on Unique Needs of Curiosity
NASA is fueling the Curiosity rover with a plutonium-powered battery of sorts called a multi-mission radioisotope thermal generator, or MMRTG.

Atmospheric Modeling of Martian Methane Plumes: The Debate Continues
From recent observations, it has been suggested that there is evidence for the periodic (seasonal) release of methane occur from discrete surface locations on Mars, although the exact location and mechanism of release is still unknown.

The Strange Attraction of Gale Crater
It sounds a little odd -- a mountain in the middle of an impact crater.

Help NASA Find Life On Mars With MAPPER
Would you like to participate in NASA's analog research program? Now you can with MAPPER.

Jupiter's "Grand Tack" Reshaped the Solar System
Jupiter, long settled in its position as the fifth planet from our sun, was a rolling stone in its youth.

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Launch Team Focuses on Unique Needs of Curiosity
NASA is fueling the Curiosity rover with a plutonium-powered battery of sorts called a multi-mission radioisotope thermal generator, or MMRTG.

The Strange Attraction of Gale Crater
It sounds a little odd -- a mountain in the middle of an impact crater.

Help NASA Find Life On Mars With MAPPER
Would you like to participate in NASA's analog research program? Now you can with MAPPER.

Jupiter's "Grand Tack" Reshaped the Solar System
Jupiter, long settled in its position as the fifth planet from our sun, was a rolling stone in its youth.

1 2 3 4 5

Show All