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On December 30, 2024, a stunning event captured the attention of both locals and space experts when a massive metal ring crashed from the sky into a Kenyan village southeast of Nairobi. The 2.5-meter diameter object, weighing approximately 500 kilograms, landed in a field without causing injuries but immediately sparked widespread curiosity and concern about space debris falling to Earth. The mysterious metal ring and its identification As New Year celebrations approached, villagers witnessed the extraordinary sight of a half-tonne metallic object plummeting from above. Local authorities quickly secured the area to prevent public access while experts were called in...

Trying to create a whiff of an alien atmosphere—sunbaked sulfur and chalk NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS ============================================================= Robot explorers have found Mars to be a world of sulfur, acids, magnesium, iron and chlorine compounds, all of which are sunbaked and wrapped in a carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere. But what would this complex and exotic brew smell like? It turns out that everyone—not just Mars explorers—might be able to find out, because there may be ways to recreate whiffs of the Red Planet here on Earth. One relatively recent innovation in the perfume business is "Headspace" technology. "It gathers the molecules, and then the sample is...

The largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth was sold for just over $5 million at an auction of rare geological and archaeological objects in New York on Wednesday, while a juvenile dinosaur skeleton went for more than $30 million. Source NBCThe 54-pound (25-kilogram) rock named NWA 16788 was discovered in the Sahara Desert in Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, after having been blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and traveling 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) to Earth, according to Sotheby’s. The estimated sale price before the auction was $2...

NEW YORK — For sale: A 54-pound (25-kilogram) rock. Estimated auction price: $2 million to $4 million. Why so expensive? It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth. Sotheby's in New York will be auctioning what's known as NWA 16788 on Wednesday as part of a natural history-themed sale that also includes a juvenile Ceratosaurus dinosaur skeleton that's more than 6 feet (2 meters) tall and nearly 11 feet (3 meters) long. According to the auction house, the meteorite is believed to have been blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike before traveling 140...

He walks with a cane and is a bit hard of hearing. Yet Boris Chertok, 95, a former deputy chief designer in the Soviet bureau that put the first Sputnik satellite into orbit 50 years ago, still has strong opinions on the evolution of the country's space program. Chertok says the free-market changes instituted by President Boris Yeltsin after the Soviet Union fell apart were disastrous for Russian science. "We need to restore what we have lost over 15 years of destructive reforms," said Chertok, whose very name was once a state secret. "The market economy is incapable of fulfilling...

Explanation: Sure, that figure-8 shaped curve you get when you mark the position of the Sun in Earth's sky at the same time each day over one year is called an analemma. On the left, Earth's figure-8 analemma was traced by combining wide-angle digital images recorded during the year from December 2011 through December 2012. But the shape of an analemma depends on the eccentricity of a planet's orbit and the tilt of its axis of rotation, so analemma curves can look different for different worlds. Take Mars for example. The Red Planet's axial tilt is similar to Earth's, but...

Explanation: On the Mars rover's mission Sol 46 or Earth date April 6, 2021, Perseverance held out a robotic arm to take its first selfie on Mars. The WATSON camera at the end of the arm was designed to take close-ups of Martian rocks and surface details though, and not a quick snap shot of friends and smiling faces. In the end, teamwork and weeks of planning on Mars time was required to program a complex series of exposures and camera motions to include Perseverance and its surroundings. The resulting 62 frames were composed into a detailed mosaic, one of...

U.S. — Washington was abuzz with the news that Elon Musk had officially stepped down from his duties as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk said he will now spend his time tackling the much easier job of sending human beings to Mars. Musk started DOGE with Vivek Ramaswamy and hit the ground running on President Donald Trump's first day back in office. While Ramaswamy quickly abandoned the venture after coming to the conclusion that running for governor of Ohio was easier than cutting wasteful spending in Washington, D.C., Musk stayed on for several more months before he...

A mini planetary parade will see Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn align above the horizon Astronomy enthusiasts are in for a celestial treat at dawn tomorrow, as a stunning mini planetary parade is set to grace our skies. The early hours of the morning will witness Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn aligning just above the horizon. The prospects of catching Uranus with the naked eye might be slim, but it's anticipated that avid sky-gazers across Britain could capture glances of other planets, with some spotted even without the need for binoculars. Shedding light on this space...

NASA and Northrop Grumman of Dulles, Virginia, have finalized a contract to develop the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for Gateway, which will be a critical way station and outpost in orbit around the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program. NASA and its commercial and international partners are building Gateway to support science investigations and enable surface landings at the Moon, which will help prepare astronauts for future missions to Mars. The firm, fixed-price contract is valued at $935 million. Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will be responsible for attaching and testing the integrated HALO with the Power and...

The longest molecules ever found on Mars have been unearthed by NASA's Curiosity rover, and they could mean the planet is strewn with evidence for ancient life. Molecule chains containing up to twelve carbon atoms linked together were detected in a 3.7 billion-year-old rock sample collected from a dried-up Martian lakebed named Yellowknife Bay, according to a study published March 24 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These long carbon chains are thought to have originated from molecules called fatty acids, which, on Earth, are produced by biological activity. While fatty acids can form without biological...

NASA’s Perseverance rover has made a mysterious discovery during its exploration of Jezero Crater: a dark-colored stone with unusual features that “may have originated from elsewhere.” The unexpected discovery, which the Perseverance team has dubbed “Skull Hill,” was made last week while the intrepid rover continued its descent down the lower part of Witch Hazel Hill along the crater’s rim. At one point, the rover stopped at the boundary between a pair of distinct rock outcrops of contrasting coloration that were first revealed in orbital imagery of the crater. The intriguing location, which the Perseverance team had nicknamed “Port Anson,”...

Martian dust may be more harmful to astronauts than the trip itself. (Photo by StudyFinds on Shutterstock AI Generator) ********************************************************************* In a nutshell Martian dust poses serious health risks, especially to astronauts’ lungs, with particles small enough to penetrate deep into the respiratory system and potentially cause irreversible diseases like silicosis and aplastic anemia. The dust is chemically hazardous, containing reactive compounds like perchlorates, silica, nanophase iron, and trace toxic metals that can disrupt thyroid function, damage tissues, and even increase infection risk due to weakened immune defenses in space. Prevention is critical, as many dust-related conditions have no cure....

Explanation: What created this unusual hole in Mars? Actually, there are numerous holes pictured in this Swiss cheese-like landscape, with all-but-one of them showing a dusty, dark, Martian terrain beneath evaporating, light, carbon dioxide ice. The most unusual hole is on the upper right, spans about 100 meters, and seems to punch through to a lower level. Why this hole exists and why it is surrounded by a circular crater remains a topic of speculation, although a leading hypothesis is that it was created by a meteor impact. Holes such as this are of particular interest because they might be...

China's Zhurong rover has collected data that suggests that Mars may have had oceans and beaches millions of years ago. Scientists have made an extraordinary revelation regarding Mars, suggesting that the planet may have previously harbored optimal conditions for life. Space exploration leaders, such as billionaire Elon Musk, envision Mars as a prime location for humanity's next outpost in the cosmos due to its relatively close proximity and Earth-like qualities. Despite this, Mars currently presents harsh conditions with sub-zero temperatures, a thin atmosphere composed predominantly of carbon dioxide, and scant oxygen—posing challenges for human habitation as we know it.

Explanation: This was once a beach -- on ancient Mars. The featured 360-degree panorama, horizontally compressed, was taken in 2017 by the robotic Curiosity rover that explored the red planet. Named Ogunquit Beach after its terrestrial counterpart, evidence shows that at times long ago the area was underwater, while at other times it was at the edge of an ancient lake. The light peak in the central background is the top of Mount Sharp, the central feature in Gale Crater where Curiosity explored. Portions of the dark sands in the foreground were scooped up for analysis. The light colored bedrock...

Explanation: What's the sound of one laser zapping? There's no need to consult a Zen master to find out, just listen to the first acoustic recording of laser shots on Mars. On Mars Rover Perseverance mission sol 12 (March 2, 2021) the SuperCam instrument atop the rover's mast zapped a rock dubbed Ma'az 30 times from a range of about 3.1 meters. Its microphone recorded the soft staccato popping sounds of the rapid series of SuperCam laser zaps. Shockwaves created in the thin Martian atmosphere as bits of rock are vaporized by the laser shots make the popping sounds, sounds...

Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX’s Starship will head to Mars at the end of 2026. The ship will be carrying Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot. The tech billionaire said that if all goes well, humans could be on the red planet by 2029, although he admitted that 2031 is more likely.

Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX’s Starship is set to launch for Mars by the end of 2026, and it will carry Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus. @elonmusk Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely. https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1900774290682683612? According to Musk, if everything goes as planned, humans could reach Mars as early as 2029—though he acknowledged that 2031 is a more realistic target. The X account for Optimus replied to Musk’s announcement with just two words: "Hold on." "Starship...

UFO mania @maniaUFO A Tic-Tac has been spotted on Mars by the NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Mast Cam on Sol 2692... A Tic-Tac has been spotted on Mars by the NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Mast Cam on Sol 2692! Check out how its casting a shadow on the surface! Location: Mars Longitude: 137.38077432° Latitude: -4.73673265°