Mars – News Stories About Mars - Page 16

updated

May 25, 2008 7:14 PM CDT

Phoenix Touches Down on Mars

NASA now awaits first photos of historic mission

(Newser) - The Phoenix probe has landed safely on Mars' icy surface and begun its search for life, Space.com reports. Exultant NASA scientists are now awaiting a second radio signal to see how much power it has left—a critical element of the mission. And they await the probe's first snapshots....

7 Minutes of Danger
in Mars Quest

May 23, 2008 2:52 AM CDT

7 Minutes of Danger in Mars Quest

Probe makes risky landing Sunday in hunt for water

(Newser) - The latest NASA mission searching for signs of life on Mars comes to a heart-pounding climax Sunday as the Phoenix Lander attempts to touch down at the red planet's pole in a hunt for water. The lander must perform complex maneuvers in which the whole mission is at risk for...

Asteroids Could Reseed
a Devastated Earth

May 18, 2008 3:13 PM CDT

Asteroids Could Reseed a Devastated Earth

Rock-dwelling microorganisms would make it back from space

(Newser) - If a comet ever obliterates life on Earth, don't worry—space rocks could later fall in and reseed a few basic life forms. A new study shows that organisms can survive being hit by a meteor, ejected into space, and hurtled back to Earth on the face of a rock—...

Mars Buys Wrigley, With Assist From Buffett

UPDATED

Apr 28, 2008 8:05 AM CDT

Mars Buys Wrigley, With Assist From Buffett

Proposed purchase could push Hershey into merger to compete

(Newser) - M&Ms-maker Mars, backed by Warren Buffett, has made a deal to buy Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. for about $23 billion, reports the New York Times. The acquisition is likely to force other candy makers like Hershey and Cadbury Schweppes into mergers to maintain market share against a powerful conglomerate...

Mars Photos Suggest
Ancient
Hot Springs

Apr 28, 2008 3:45 AM CDT

Mars Photos Suggest Ancient Hot Springs

Possible sign that life once existed on planet

(Newser) - Scientists have found what look like the remains of hot springs on Mars—a sign life could have existed there, reports the Washington Post. Sophisticated equipment returned images of “mounds” that appear remarkably similar to springs found in Australia, according to scientists. They appear to have dried up tens...

Red Planet
of the Apes?

Apr 14, 2008 2:57 PM CDT

Red Planet of the Apes?

Russia auditions monkeys for possible trip to Mars, drawing activists' ire

(Newser) - The first mammal on Mars may be a monkey. Russia is testing radiation and weightlessness effects on macaques for a possible trip to the red planet. Scientists also want to see how the animals react to isolation and the special diet the 520-day mission would require, reports the BBC. Twelve...

Google Gets
Into the Spirit

it's april 1

Apr 1, 2008 3:44 PM CDT

Google Gets Into the Spirit

Search engine pranks users with email time machine, mission to Mars

(Newser) - Google continued a time-honored tradition of April Fools’ Day pranks today with foolish new email features and a mission to Mars, cNet reports. Gmail users found a new feature, “Custom Time,” which would allow emails to be sent back in time. And not to worry in case of...

Mars Rovers Dodge NASA Cuts

Mar 26, 2008 7:10 AM CDT

Mars Rovers Dodge NASA Cuts

Budget called for 1 to hibernate, 1 to go part-time

(Newser) - NASA has spared its far-flung Mars rovers from budget cuts, reports the Washington Post, after its administrator got wind of the plan to hibernate Spirit and roll Opportunity back to part time. "Closing down either of the rovers is not on the table," his spokesman said, and underlings...

$4M NASA Cut May Strand
Mars Rover

Mar 24, 2008 8:38 PM CDT

$4M NASA Cut May Strand Mars Rover

Shrinking budget could also leave 300 jobless

(Newser) - NASA confirmed and denied plans today to scuttle a Mars rover and fire 300 employees, CNN reports. The space agency first announced a $4 million cut to the Mars program's $20 million budget and vowed to unplug one of two rovers roaming the red planet. Then a NASA spokesman told...

Hidden Ocean Found on
Saturn Moon

Mar 21, 2008 4:13 AM CDT

Hidden Ocean Found on Saturn Moon

Watery Titan and salty Mars could have evidence of life

(Newser) - NASA has unlocked two more of the solar system's secrets, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The Cassini orbiter discovered evidence of an underground ocean churning deep below the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and the Mars Odyssey spacecraft has found ancient salt deposits on the red planet. Both discoveries have...

EU Probes Chocolate Price Fixing

Feb 20, 2008 6:22 AM CST

EU Probes Chocolate Price Fixing

Hershey, Mars, others suspected of conspiracy

(Newser) - The European Commission suspects candy giant Hershey of conspiring with other chocolate and candy manufacturers in an industry-wide price-fixing scheme, AP reports. Both Hershey and rival Mars recently received requests for information from the commission after some 50 civil lawsuits in the US have alleged price fixing. The two companies...

Mars Was Too Salty for Life

Feb 16, 2008 7:58 AM CST

Mars Was Too Salty for Life

Rock analysis shows even microbes couldn't have survived in planet's early history

(Newser) - Hopes that Mars may once have supported life have taken a blow with the discovery that the planet has been too salty for life for much of its history, the BBC reports. "It was salty enough that only a handful of known terrestrial organisms would have a ghost of...

Asteroid to Whiz Past Earth

Jan 25, 2008 9:49 AM CST

Asteroid to Whiz Past Earth

Space rock to be visible Tuesday even through amateur telescopes

(Newser) - A big asteroid is set to speed past Earth on Tuesday night, and those with amateur telescopes will get a peek. NASA discovered the object in October, and scientists believe it's between 500 and 2,000 feet in diameter, LiveScience reports. It won't come closer than 334,000 miles to...

OMG! Bigfoot on Mars! Run!

Jan 24, 2008 6:19 PM CST

OMG! Bigfoot on Mars! Run!

This just might be what jump-starts interest in space exploration again

(Newser) - After nearly four years of important discoveries, it has taken a tiny rock outcropping that looks like Bigfoot to make people passionate about the Mars rovers, the Telegraph reports. Conspiracy theorists are sure a photo snapped in 2004 reveals an alien, or perhaps a creature like Sasquatch. "I couldn’...

Asteroid Won't Slam Into Mars After All

Jan 11, 2008 4:24 AM CST

Asteroid Won't Slam Into Mars After All

Disappointed scientists were hoping to study collision

(Newser) - An asteroid heading toward Mars won't crash into it after all, according to disappointed scientists. They had initially calculated there was a 1-in-27 chance of the space rock hitting the red planet, but after new observations researchers estimate the odds are only 1 in 10,000, "effectively ruling out...

Mars Smash Looking Likelier

Dec 29, 2007 7:55 AM CST

Mars Smash Looking Likelier

Still a longshot, but cosmic collision now a 25-1 chance

(Newser) - Scientists say the chances of a giant asteroid smashing into Mars on January 30 have gone up steeply, the AP reports. It's still a 25-1 longshot, but stargazers have their fingers crossed. I think it'll be cool," said a NASA tracker. "Usually when an asteroid is headed toward...

Moon to Make Rare Pass Over Mars Tonight

Dec 23, 2007 4:54 PM CST

Moon to Make Rare Pass Over Mars Tonight

Stargazers further north and west will get best view

(Newser) - Scanning the heavens for a sighting of Santa tonight? Star-gazers will also see the full moon appear to pass just over Mars, which is still glowing a strong yellow-orange color. Skygazers farther north and west will get the best view—especially in the Pacific Northwest, western Canada, and Alaska—where...

NASA Delays Mars Probe to 2013

Dec 21, 2007 6:40 PM CST

NASA Delays Mars Probe to 2013

Conflict of interest in purchasing phase pushes mission back

(Newser) - A conflict of interest has forced NASA to delay a scheduled Mars probe by two years and spend an extra $40 million, the Associated Press reports. The panel choosing between two firms for the mission had to be replaced, and because Mars is only within reach every 26 months, the...

Asteroid On Path to Smash Mars

Dec 20, 2007 8:17 PM CST

Asteroid On Path to Smash Mars

Big rock has a good chance of striking on Jan. 30

(Newser) - A big asteroid has a decent chance of blasting into Mars next month with potentially devastating consequences for the Red Planet, the LA Times reports. Back on earth, meanwhile, astronomers say that being able to watch an asteroid impact for the first time would be a "scientific bonanza."...

Mars Draws Near, Shines Bright

Dec 14, 2007 4:56 PM CST

Mars Draws Near, Shines Bright

Our next chance for this good a look at red planet won't come until 2016

(Newser) - Astronomers of all abilities—and children scanning the night sky for Santa Claus—should be able to see a gleaming Mars as the red planet draws close enough, and into the right position, to outshine Sirius as the brightest evening star. Practically brushing shoulders with Earth—a mere 54,783,...