Free Republic

Mars-caused changes in Earth’s orbit impacts ocean currents and temperatures every 2.4 million years and is known as an “astronomical grand cycle.” Anyone with an inkling of knowledge of geologic history appreciates Earth’s climate is constantly changing. This change has many reasons, including solar cycles, volcanic activity, and asteroids. New research shows another potentially significant player in Earth’s climate change cycles: Mars, our neighboring planet. Geological evidence tracing back more than 65 million years and taken from hundreds of sites across the world suggests that deep-sea currents have repeatedly gone through periods of being either stronger or weaker. This happens...

Explanation: This close-up from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera shows weathered craters and windblown deposits in southern Acidalia Planitia. A striking shade of blue in standard HiRISE image colors, to the human eye the area would probably look grey or a little reddish. But human eyes have not gazed across this terrain, unless you count the eyes of NASA astronauts in the scifi novel The Martian by Andy Weir. The novel chronicles the adventures of Mark Watney, an astronaut stranded at the fictional Mars mission Ares 3 landing site corresponding to the coordinates of this cropped HiRISE frame. For...

Scientists have discovered a gigantic volcano on Mars near the planet’s equator that remained unnoticed for decades, according to newly published research. The huge volcano was found in the Red Planet’s eastern Tharsis volcanic province, along with what researchers interpret to be a large sheet of buried glacial ice beneath the Martian surface. The discovery came as a surprise, partly because orbital spacecraft have photographed this region of Mars since the early 1970s. Hidden in plain sight now for decades, the giant volcano, which has undergone extensive erosion over time, somehow remained unnoticed. The feature has been given the temporary...

Ingenuity has been the first aerial vehicle on another world. NASA announced the end of the Martian helicopter’s life at the end of its 72nd flight. During the flight there had been a problem on landing and, following the incident a few photos revealed chips in one of the rotor blades but nothing too serious. New images have been revealed that show the craft is missing one of its rotor blades entirely! >>>On 11 Feb, NASA used the black and white navigation camera to record a video showing the shadow of the rotors turning. It was an ingenious idea by...

If the past is any guide, things are going to take off quickly.MARS IS A GRAVEYARD FOR explorers. Many orbiters, landers, rovers, and other mechanical critters that have either been cremated in the Red Planet’s thin atmosphere or fallen silent in the ochre, radiation-smothered sands below, right away or at the end of their technological lifespans. Many belonged to NASA, and the mantra of their droids seems to be: If you’re going to die, you might overachieve before you go.>>>NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter -- affectionately known as Ginny, the first aircraft to achieve powered and controlled flight on another world...

Mysterious polygons spotted by NASA in 2012. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Researchers operating China’s Zhurong rover say they have spotted a series of mysterious polygons hidden beneath the planet’s surface, similar to polygons NASA spotted on the surface of Mars in 2012. The newly discovered features, however, were detected more than 35 kilometers beneath the planet’s surface. While researchers believe that these polygon structures could have formed due to extreme environmental shifts in Mars’ ancient past, their exact nature and formation remain a mystery. The discovery was initially made during the rover’s one-year mission, which lasted from May...

Ingenuity already looks lonely.NASA's Perseverance Rover took a photo of its broken companion, the Ingenuity helicopter, as it sat alone on a dune.In this most recent photo of Ingenuity, the dual-rotor 'copter can be seen motionless on a sandy dune in the background, as a barren, rocky Mars landscape fills the foreground. The photo was taken on Feb. 4, 2024, at 1:05 p.m. local mean solar time, a little over two weeks since it suffered its mission-ending damage. NASA and JPL's Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of Mars as seen by the Perseverance rover's Mastcam-Z camera on Feb. 4, 2024....

Ingenuity's mission is officially coming to an end, but not before mission scientists try to determine how much damage the helicopter suffered.NASA held a livestream Wednesday (Jan. 31) to pay tribute to Mars helicopter Ingenuity, which suffered rotor damage on its most recent flight. During the livestream, mission managers revealed that all four of Ingenuity's blades were damaged during a rough landing on the Red Planet surface.Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity Project Manager, said that NASA and JPL still aren't sure what caused the damage to Ingenuity's blades; it remains unclear whether the helicopter's power dipped during landing, causing unwanted ground contact,...

Pieces of humanity’s first powered aircraft have orbited Earth, ventured to the Moon, and now, they’ve hovered above Mars’ surface.***Mars, the solar system’s fourth planet, is a cold, craggy, two-mooned world named for the Roman God of war, which is fitting considering its rusty red surface gives it a blood-stained hue. Located some 293 million miles from Earth, Mars — with its thin atmosphere, colossal canyons, and towering Olympus Mons volcano — has long mystified humanity. But today, April 19, 2021, a powerful yet petite helicopter briefly hovered above the Red Planet’s surface, taking what could be a paradigm-shifting step...

NASA’s history-making Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission at the Red Planet after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than planned. While the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers, imagery of its Jan. 18 flight sent to Earth this week indicates one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing and it is no longer capable of flight.

Flight 72 Sol 1035 Date Jan. 18, 2024 Horizontal Distance 0 m 0 ft Max. Altitude 12 m ~39 ft Max. Groundspeed 0 m/s 0 mph Duration 32.0 seconds Route of Flight Airfield ChiFlight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 72FLIGHT TIME ~128.8 MINSDISTANCE FLOWN 11 MILES (~17.0 km)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

STATUS UPDATES | January 22, 2024 Ingenuity Reestablishes Communications Written by NASA/JPL On Saturday, Jan. 20, communications were reestablished between Ingenuity and NASA’s Perseverance rover. The Ingenuity team has determined the helicopter is power-positive and is sitting vertically on the surface. Next steps include running further diagnostic checks, commanding Ingenuity to take photos of its location on the surface, and performing a spin test.

Starfleet had a base on Mars, as evidenced by an image captured by NASA's Curiosity rover. Amateur astronomer Scott Atkinson found the stone sculpture of the Starfleet insignia among a pile of rocks on the Red Planet's Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons).

ESA's Mars Express spacecraft has made a significant breakthrough in our understanding of Mars's hydrological history by uncovering extensive layers of water ice at the planet's equator. This finding, derived from new data analysis by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS), suggests the presence of ice layers stretching several kilometers below the surface in the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF). Over a decade ago, initial studies by Mars Express pointed to the existence of massive deposits in the MFF, as deep as 2.5 kilometers. However, the composition of these deposits remained a mystery until now. "We've explored...

Flight 71 Sol 1023 Date Jan. 6, 2024 Horizontal Distance 71 m ~233 ft Max. Altitude 12 m ~39 ft Max. Groundspeed 7 m/s ~15.7 mph Duration 35.0 seconds Route of Flight from Airfield Chi to Airfield ChiFlight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 71FLIGHT TIME ~128.3 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 11 MILES (~17.0 km)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

This information is sourced from NASA's waypoints log (linked above), starting line 3508.Formatted as per the Flight Log:Flight 70 Sol 1009 Date Dec. 22, 2023 Horizontal Distance 255.109 m 836.972 ft Max. Altitude 12 m 39.37 ft Max. Groundspeed 5.5 m/s 12.3 mph Duration 132.9 seconds Route of Flight Airfield ChiFlight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 70FLIGHT TIME 127.8 MINS 7668.286 SECONDSDISTANCE FLOWN 10.662 MILES ~ 17.158 km 56293.648 ftMAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

An Ode to Perseverance and Ingenuity Written by Nicolas Randazzo, Postdoctoral Scientist, University of AlbertaIn the vast expanse where dreams take flight, A tale unfolds of courage and might. Mars, the distant red planet's embrace, Witnesses a duo, bound by space.In the history of the cosmos, their story engraved, Perseverance and Ingenuity, bold and brave. Their legacy echoes, inspiring the souls, To reach for the stars, to achieve their goals.Perseverance, a wanderer on alien soil, Unraveling mysteries, with unyielding toil. Its robotic arm, a gentle touch bestowed, Collecting samples, where the martian past’s secrets flowed.But lo, a companion, the aerial...

STATUS UPDATES | December 20, 2023 The Right Stuff Written by Travis Brown, Chief Engineer, and Martin Cacan, Chief Pilot, Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at NASA’s Jet Propulsion LaboratoryFirst Controlled Flight of Mars Helicopter Prototype: The first full-scale Ingenuity prototypeis tested inside JPL’s 25-foot thermal-vacuum chamber (5/31/2016). Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Download image › TrailblazerLong before Ingenuity’s historic first flight on Mars, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and their collaborators at AeroVironment Inc. were already moving the boundaries of human knowledge and aeronautic achievement with testing here on Earth. Flights by an Ingenuity prototype in 2016 showed that controlled,...

Flight 69 Sol 1007 Date Dec. 20, 2023 Horizontal Distance 705 m ~2,315 ft Max. Altitude 16 m ~52 ft Max. Groundspeed 10 m/s ~22.4 mph Duration 135.4 seconds Route of Flight Airfield ChiFlight Log By the Numbers FLIGHTS 69FLIGHT TIME ~125.5 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 10 MILES (~16,711 km) (sic)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

Flight 68 Sol 1002 Date Dec. 15, 2023 Horizontal Distance 702 m ~2,304 ft Max. Altitude 16 m ~52 ft Max. Groundspeed 10 m/s ~22.4 mph Duration 131.1 seconds Route of Flight Airfield ChiFlight Log By the Numbers FLIGHTS 68FLIGHT TIME ~123.3 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 10 MILES (~16,006 km) (sic)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)