After its thrusters shut off prematurely, the European Space Agency's newest lander probably crash-landed from 2–4 kilometers above the surface.
Mars
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European-Russian Mission Reaches Mars: Lander’s Fate Yet Unknown
Although the mission’s lander might not have survived, the new Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft will explore clues that may indicate extraterrestrial life.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mars’s Climate May Have Been Wet Much Later Than Thought
Water-carved valleys may be relatively young, challenging assumptions about the history of the Red Planet's climate.
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A Flip-Flopping Climate Could Explain Mars's Watery Past
A new hypothesis might reconcile two opposing theories that have tried to explain Mars's mysterious history for more than 40 years.
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Delayed Launch Approved for Next Mars Mission
NASA has set a new 2018 launch date for a spacecraft to probe the Red Planet's interior, after instrument failure hobbled preparations for the mission.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Do Gullies Form on Mars?
New orbiter data support an important role for seasonal frost—not liquid water—in the formation of Martian gullies.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Rocks in Chile Help Scientists Hunt for Life on Mars
Investigating oxalate minerals in the Atacama Desert provides a terrestrial analogue to test techniques that could be used to study the carbon cycle in the cold deserts of Mars.
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Minerals Hint at Liquid Groundwater, More Oxygen in Mars's Past
Manganese deposits in Gale Crater fractures are similar to Earth features that usually require flowing water and highly oxidizing conditions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Reconstructing Catastrophic Floods on Earth and Mars
A new theoretical model suggests that ancient floods that carved canyons on Earth and Mars may have been much smaller but lasted longer than previously thought.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Cluster of Water Seeps on Mars?
The discovery of dense concentrations of recurring flowlike features in two Valles Marineris chasms could aid in the search for life and influence future exploration of the Red Planet.