By Paul Scott Anderson, on April 14th, 2020
Photo of the Mars Helicopter, after it was attached to the bottom of the rover (lower center of image). Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Despite the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, preparations for the launch of NASA’s next rover to Mars this July, Perseverance, are continuing on schedule. Most recently, the engineering and technician team completed two more […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on March 23rd, 2020
The Perseverance rover undergoing processing at a payload servicing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 14, 2020. Photo Credit: NASA
NASA’s Perseverance rover just reached big another milestone in its preparations for launch to Mars this summer. Key components of the rover’s sample handling system have now been installed. This system will […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on July 25th, 2019
The Mars 2020 rover under construction. The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) will be inserted into the rear end of the rover between the panels with gold tubing, called heat exchangers. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s new Mars 2020 rover is now only about a year away from the start of its mission, and another […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on March 21st, 2019
View of the backshell that will help protect the Mars 2020 rover during its descent into the Martian atmosphere, during the Systems Test 1 (ST1). Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The landing of the Mars 2020 rover on Feb. 18, 2021 may still be almost two years away, but NASA’s newest Mars rover has already “touched […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on November 19th, 2018
Enhanced color image of a portion of Jezero Crater, the landing site chosen for the Mars 2020 mission. The mineral-rich river delta is in the center of the image. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/JHUAPL/MSSS/Brown University
And the winner is… Jezero Crater! NASA has chosen this location as the landing site on Mars for its next […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on May 13th, 2018
Artist’s conception of the autonomous, drone-like Mars Helicopter, which will be sent to Mars along with the 2020 rover. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Excitement has been building for NASA’s next rover mission to Mars, scheduled to launch sometime in 2020. Although it looks a lot like the current Curiosity rover, its mission will be […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on July 19th, 2016
Iconic painting of a Viking lander on Mars, prior to launch. The sampling arm reaches into the foreground. Image Credit: Charles Bennett/Lockheed Martin (Martin Marietta)
July 20, 1976, will be forever remembered by space enthusiasts. On that day, Viking 1 became the first U.S. spacecraft to land on another planet—in this case, Mars […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on February 2nd, 2016
Image of “cauliflower” silica formations found by the Spirit rover in 2008 near Home Plate in Gusev crater. Do they hold clues to ancient life on Mars? Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Was there ever life on Mars? That is one of the longest-running and most debated questions in planetary science, and while there have […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on December 20th, 2015
A view many have been waiting for – artist’s concept of the surface of Europa. The new NASA budget brings this closer to reality, with funding for not only a flyby probe, but also a lander. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
This was an exciting and very important week for NASA and planetary exploration: the […]
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By Paul Scott Anderson, on November 27th, 2015
Artist’s conception of the helicopter-like drone which could accompany the Mars 2020 rover. Image Credit: NASA
Over the past few years, numerous orbiters, landers, and rovers have been sent to Mars, revealing the world as never before. There is, however, something else which hasn’t been done yet: a helicopter, airplane, or balloon. An […]
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