SAN FRANCISCO — NASA's Curiosity rover may have just taken a big step toward cracking at least part of the Mars methane mystery.
But here's where the mystery comes in: The view from above is very different. The European-Russian Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), which was designed to sniff out low-abundance gases such as methane, has found the Martian air to be virtually free of the stuff.
For example, TGO recorded an upper limit of 0.012 parts per billion (ppb) methane during its first four months of full science operations, which lasted from April through August 2018. That's about 35 times lower than the background methane levels Curiosity measured inside Gale over the same period.
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Former NASA Astronaut Leland Melvin on Prepping the Next Generation for Mars - Grit Daily
The former NASA astronaut and STEM advisor to President Obama focuses his energies on his greatest passion: prepping today's students for Mars.
A recurring thought crosses Leland Melvin's mind sometimes when he looks up at the night sky. As he peers into the stars from his Virginia home, and sees the darkness of space he has twice visited, he recalls the 'the sky is the limit' sentiment of his childhood, and wonders how to make it equally magical for students.
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover passes first driving test on road to red planet – Astronomy Now
With launch just seven months away, NASA’s Mars 2020 rover passed its first driving test on 17 December, demonstrating the six-wheel nuclear-powered spacecraft can auto-navigate around obstacles, climb over relatively large obstructions and manoeuvre as required.
“Mars 2020 has earned its driver’s license,” said Rich Rieber, the lead mobility systems engineer for the Mars 2020 project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The test unambiguously proved that the rover can operate under its own weight and demonstrated many of the autonomous-navigation functions for the first time. This is a major milestone for Mars 2020.”
Down home laughs, big city music at the Mars -
Get ready for a side-splitting ride with comedy galore and marvel at the phenomenal voices of The 3 Redneck Tenors on Jan. 10 at the Mars Theatre.
The show is a musical adventure that combines the hilarious antics of three rednecks with the beauty and elegance of opera. The performance takes place at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at www.marstheatre.com, Springfield City Hall, the theater box office or by calling 912-754-1118.
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Groundbreaking astronaut glove for exploring the moon and Mars
NASA plans to return to the moon by 2024 with the Artemis program, and then send astronauts to Mars. As a result of the start-up's project with NASA, astronauts may be equipped with Norwegian-developed smart gloves from Ntention.
The human-machine interface technology behind the glove enables communicating with machines via the body. The glove allows astronauts to control drones or other robots using simple hand gestures.
The company Ntention today consists of 13 NTNU students, mainly from industrial economics, cybernetics and robotics, as well as industrial design.
Calgary professor part of out-of-this-world Mars simulation in Hawaii
Kent Hecker is a University of Calgary associate professor and researcher who was part of a Canadian research team participating in a study at the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation habitat, or HI-SEAS.
The study and research project, which ran Dec. 1-8, took place in Mauna Loa in the red lava fields of an old Hawaiian quarry, believed to mimic the geography on Mars.
The objective of the research? Use "neural headband" technology in the hopes of monitoring the cognitive function of astronauts during a simulated space mission.
Happening on Twitter
Methane Mystery on Mars May Get a Partial Answer Soon https://t.co/iBmgnrz3Jb https://t.co/njtvxe26Yi SPACEdotcom (from NYC) Thu Dec 19 15:01:02 +0000 2019
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