ASHINGTON | Xinhua | An underground reservoir of water may reside beneath the surface of Mars, according to new research released on Monday. This water, estimated to be located approximately 7 to 12 miles (11.5 to 20 km) below the Martian crust, is hidden within cracks in underground rocks. The …
Read More »Inside Elon Musk’s plan to Colonise Mars
Thermonuclear blasts and new species ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | For more than two decades, Elon Musk has focused SpaceX, his rocket company, on his lifelong goal of reaching Mars. Over the past year, he has also ramped up work on what will happen if he gets there. Musk, 53, has directed …
Read More »Chinese space enterprise gears up for record-breaking 40-plus launches in 2021
Beijing, China | XINHUA | The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the leading force of the country’s space industry, has released a plan for more than 40 space launches for 2021, a new high following the already busy and fruitful 2020. The construction of China’s space station, …
Read More »How NASA launched Mars rover to seek signs of ancient life
Florida, USA | XINHUA | NASA has launched its Mars rover Perseverance in a bid to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. The rover lifted off at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT Thursay) on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 …
Read More »China successfully launches first Mars mission
Wenchang, China | XINHUA | China launched a Mars probe on Thursday, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, and taking the first step in its planetary exploration of the solar system. A Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest launch vehicle, carrying the spacecraft with a mass of …
Read More »NASA’s trip to Mars begins in California ‘clean room’
Pasadena, United States | AFP | NASA’s Mars 2020 rover will head off for the Red Planet next year. But like Voyager, Galileo and Cassini before it, the mission’s epic journey began in a “clean room” in California. One of two ultra-sterile labs used for spacecraft assembly at the Jet Propulsion …
Read More »NASA descends on Icelandic lava field to prepare for Mars
The Lambahraun lava field, Iceland | AFP | To prepare for the next mission to Mars in 2020, NASA has taken to the lava fields of Iceland to get its new robotic space explorer ready for the job. With its black basalt sand, wind-swept dunes and craggy peaks, the Lambahraun …
Read More »One giant leap: 50 years ago, humanity’s first steps on the Moon
Houston, United States | AFP | “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”: it was with these words that Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the Moon 50 years ago, an occasion celebrated by space enthusiasts globally Saturday. The era-defining event was …
Read More »Grapes on Mars? Georgia winemakers aiming high
Tbilisi, Georgia | AFP | Georgia is immensely proud of its ancient wine-making tradition, claiming to have been the first nation to make wine. Now it wants to be the first to grow grapes on Mars. Nestling between the Great Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia has a mild climate …
Read More »Mission complete: NASA announces demise of Opportunity rover
Washington, United States | AFP | During 14 years of intrepid exploration across Mars, it advanced human knowledge by confirming that water once flowed on the red planet — but NASA’s Opportunity rover has analyzed its last soil sample. The robot has been missing since the US space agency lost …
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