//www.koonmotors.com/news/space_time/space_missions/ Space Missions to Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon. Learn about new space missions being planned. Read astronomy articles on recent space missions by NASA, ESA and more. en-us Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:50:28 EDT Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:50:28 EDT 60 //www.koonmotors.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png//www.koonmotors.com/news/space_time/space_missions/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230809164721.htm New observations of mud cracks made by the Curiosity Rover show that high-frequency, wet-dry cycling occurred in early Martian surface environments, indicating that the red planet may have once seen seasonal weather patterns or even flash floods. Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:47:21 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230809164721.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230803213812.htm The study investigated why the paths of meandering rivers change over time and is a step toward understanding what the hydroclimate on Mars was like when there was still surface water. Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:38:12 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230803213812.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230721113214.htm 材料记录,目前存在于moon is rapidly becoming at risk of being destroyed if proper attention isn't paid during the new space era, scientists say. They propose a new scientific subfield: planetary geoarchaeology, the study of how cultural and natural processes on Earth's moon, on Mars and across the solar system may be altering, preserving or destroying the material record of space exploration. Fri, 21 Jul 2023 11:32:14 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230721113214.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230713141952.htm One of the most basic assumptions of fundamental physics is that the different properties of mass -- weight, inertia and gravitation -- always remain the same in relation to each other. Although all measurements to date confirm the equivalence principle, quantum theory postulates that there should be a violation. This inconsistency between Einstein's gravitational theory and modern quantum theory is the reason why ever more precise tests of the equivalence principle are particularly important. A team has now succeeded in proving with 100 times greater accuracy that passive and active gravitational mass are always equivalent -- regardless of the particular composition of the respective masses. Thu, 13 Jul 2023 14:19:52 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230713141952.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230712124609.htm Scientists gain vital insights into Mars' history and potential for supporting life. Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:46:09 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230712124609.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230711194434.htm Mars rovers have teams of human experts on Earth telling them what to do. But robots on lander missions to moons orbiting Saturn or Jupiter are too far away to receive timely commands from Earth. Researchers developed a novel learning-based method so robots on extraterrestrial bodies can make decisions on their own about where and how to scoop up terrain samples. Tue, 11 Jul 2023 19:44:34 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230711194434.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230710180457.htm A new technique allows scientists to see how intensely rivers used to flow on Mars, and how they currently flow on Titan. The method uses satellite observations to estimate the rate at which rivers move fluid and sediment downstream. Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:04:57 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230710180457.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230705122456.htm A large formation of granite discovered below the lunar surface likely was formed from the cooling of molten lava that fed a volcano or volcanoes that erupted early in the Moon's history -- as long as 3.5 billion years ago. Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:24:56 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230705122456.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230629193235.htm A study offers new insights into how water from melting ice could have played a recent role in the formation of ravine-like channels that cut down the sides of impact craters on Mars. Thu, 29 Jun 2023 19:32:35 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230629193235.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230609125639.htm Researchers are working on sustainable technology to harvest solar power in space -- which could supplement life support systems on the Moon and Mars. Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:56:39 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230609125639.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230530125456.htm Scientists have observed a towering plume of water vapor more than 6,000 miles long -- roughly the distance from the U.S. to Japan -- spewing from the surface of Saturn's moon, Enceladus. Tue, 30 May 2023 12:54:56 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230530125456.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230523123840.htm Tunnels deep underground in North Yorkshire are providing a unique opportunity to study how humans might be able to live and operate on the Moon or on Mars. Tue, 23 May 2023 12:38:40 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230523123840.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230517122059.htm Astronomers have discovered an Earth-size exoplanet, or world beyond our solar system, that may be carpeted with volcanoes. Called LP 791-18 d, the planet could undergo volcanic outbursts as often as Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanically active body in our solar system. Wed, 17 May 2023 12:20:59 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230517122059.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230426210516.htm New research suggests future Martian botanists may be able to grow gene-edited rice on Mars. Wed, 26 Apr 2023 21:05:16 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230426210516.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230424162852.htm New NASA InSight research reveals that Mars has a liquid core rich in sulfur and oxygen, leading to new clues about how terrestrial planets form, evolve and potentially sustain life. Mon, 24 Apr 2023 16:28:52 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230424162852.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230424162849.htm A new study has uncovered intriguing insights into the liquid core at the centre of Mars, furthering understanding of the planet's formation and evolution. Mon, 24 Apr 2023 16:28:49 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230424162849.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230315143900.htm Venus appears to have volcanic activity, according to a new research paper that offers strong evidence to answer the lingering question about whether Earth's sister planet currently has eruptions and lava flows. Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:39:00 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230315143900.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230315132457.htm 科学家发现的发现残遗的地理ier near Mars' equator. Located in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus at coordinates 7° 33' S, 93° 14' W, this finding is significant as it implies the presence of surface water ice on Mars in recent times, even near the equator. This discovery raises the possibility that ice may still exist at shallow depths in the area, which could have significant implications for future human exploration. Wed, 15 Mar 2023 13:24:57 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230315132457.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230307073158.htm 一个类地行星火星和Jup之间徘徊iter would be able to push Earth out of the solar system and wipe out life on this planet, according to a recent experiment. Tue, 07 Mar 2023 07:31:58 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230307073158.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230301185225.htm Future space missions likely will send robots to scout out underground habitats for astronauts. Engineers have now developed a system that would enable autonomous vehicles to explore caves, lava tubes and even oceans on other worlds on their own. Wed, 01 Mar 2023 18:52:25 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230301185225.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230301120854.htm Astronomers offer new insight into how deflection missions can protect the planet from future Earth-bound asteroids and comets. Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:08:54 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230301120854.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230228085113.htm A liquid nitrogen spray can remove almost all of the simulated moon dust from a space suit, potentially solving what is a significant challenge for future moon-landing astronauts. Tue, 28 Feb 2023 08:51:13 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230228085113.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230221132136.htm Current state-of-the-art instrumentation being sent to Mars to collect and analyze evidence of life might not be sensitive enough to make accurate assessments, according to new research. Tue, 21 Feb 2023 13:21:36 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230221132136.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230216161232.htm Mars is infamous for its intense dust storms, some of which kick up enough dust to be seen by telescopes on Earth. When dust particles rub against each other, as they do in Martian dust storms, they can become electrified. New research shows that one particularly efficient way to move chlorine from the ground to the air on Mars is by way of reactions set off by electrical discharge generated in dust activities. Thu, 16 Feb 2023 16:12:32 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230216161232.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230209094205.htm Since their discovery by NASA's Voyager mission in the 1980s, temporary 'spoke' features across Saturn's rings have fascinated scientists, yet eluded explanation. They have been observed in the years preceding and following the planet's equinox, becoming more prominent as the date approaches. Saturn's upcoming autumnal equinox of the northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, means that spoke season has come again. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope will be on the job studying the spokes, thanks to time dedicated to Saturn in the mission's ongoing Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program. Are the smudgy features related to Saturn's magnetic field and its interaction with the solar wind, as prevailing theory suggests? Confirmation could come in this spoke season, as scientists combine archival data from NASA's Cassini mission with new Hubble observations. Thu, 09 Feb 2023 09:42:05 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230209094205.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230208125104.htm In the ongoing search for signs of life on Mars, a new study proposes focusing on 'time-resolved analogs' -- dynamic and similar Earth environments where changes can be analyzed over many years. Wed, 08 Feb 2023 12:51:04 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230208125104.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230131101856.htm Researchers have completed the first real-world study of Martian dust dynamics based on Ingenuity's historic first flights on the Red Planet, paving the way for future extraterrestrial rotorcraft missions. The work could support NASA's Mars Sample Return Program, which will retrieve samples collected by Perseverance, or the Dragonfly mission that will set course for Titan, Saturn's largest moon, in 2027. Tue, 31 Jan 2023 10:18:56 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230131101856.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230118111707.htm Perseverance has now completed its investigation of the atmosphere throughout the first Martian year (which lasts approximately two Earth years). Specifically, astronomers have studied seasonal and daily cycles of temperature and pressure, as well as their significant variations on other time scales resulting from very different processes. Wed, 18 Jan 2023 11:17:07 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230118111707.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112113146.htm Unraveling the origin stories of the Tissint meteorite's organic compounds can help scientists understand whether the Red Planet ever hosted life, as well as Earth's geologic history. Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:31:46 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112113146.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230110102935.htm In June 2021, NASA's Juno spacecraft flew close to Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, observing evidence of magnetic reconnection. A team has used Juno data to examine the electron and ion particles and magnetic fields as the magnetic field lines of Jupiter and Ganymede merged, snapped and reoriented, heating and accelerating the charged particles in the region. Tue, 10 Jan 2023 10:29:35 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230110102935.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230109145139.htm A new analysis of distant galaxies imaged by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope shows that they are extremely young and share some remarkable similarities to 'green peas,' a rare class of small galaxies in our cosmic backyard. Mon, 09 Jan 2023 14:51:39 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230109145139.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221222122818.htm When NASA's Mars rovers found manganese oxides in rocks in the Gale and Endeavor craters on Mars in 2014, the discovery sparked some scientists to suggest that the red planet might have once had more oxygen in its atmosphere billions of years ago. But a new experimental study upends this view. Scientists discovered that under Mars-like conditions, manganese oxides can be readily formed without atmospheric oxygen. Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:28:18 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221222122818.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221219123903.htm The UK's national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, was used by a large, international collaboration to study grains collected from a near-Earth asteroid to further our understanding of the evolution of our solar system. Researchers brought a fragment of the Ryugu asteroid to Diamond's Nanoprobe beamline I14 where a special technique called X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) was used to map out the chemical states of the elements within the asteroid material, to examine its composition in fine detail. Mon, 19 Dec 2022 12:39:03 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221219123903.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221215191633.htm The quake lasted four hours and identified layering in the crust that could indicate a meteoroid impact. The 4.7 magnitude temblor happened in May 2022 and released five times more energy than any previously recorded quake on Mars. Mapping the seismic activity on Mars will help inform scientists where and how to build structures to ensure the safety of future human explorers. Thu, 15 Dec 2022 19:16:33 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221215191633.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221213121444.htm When the rover Perseverance landed on Mars, it was equipped with the first working microphone on the planet's surface. Scientists have used it to make the first-ever audio recording of an extraterrestrial whirlwind. Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:14:44 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221213121444.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221209153105.htm Scientists have demonstrated new laser systems for deep-space optical communication. Fri, 09 Dec 2022 15:31:05 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221209153105.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221205121545.htm Orbital observations unveil the presence of an enormous mantle plume pushing the surface of Mars upward and driving intense volcanic and seismic activity. The discovery reveals that Mars, like Earth and Venus, possesses an active interior, which challenges current views on the evolution of the red planet. Mon, 05 Dec 2022 12:15:45 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221205121545.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221117102806.htm When Mars was a young planet, it was bombarded by icy asteroids that delivered water and organic chemistry necessary for life to emerge. According to the professor behind a new study, this means that the first life in our solar system may have been on Mars. Thu, 17 Nov 2022 10:28:06 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221117102806.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221116090006.htm For millennia, caves have served as shelters for prehistoric humans. Caves have also intrigued scholars from early Chinese naturalists to Charles Darwin. A cave ecologist has been in and out of these subterranean ecosystems, examining the unique life forms -- and unique living conditions -- that exist in Earth's many caves. But what does that suggest about caves on other planetary bodies? In two connected studies, engineers, astrophysicists, astrobiologists and astronauts lay out the research that needs to be done to get us closer to answering the old-age question about life beyond Earth. Wed, 16 Nov 2022 09:00:06 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221116090006.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221116080327.htm Following a successful launch of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, the agency's Orion spacecraft is on its way to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. Carrying an uncrewed Orion, SLS lifted off for its flight test debut at 1:47 a.m. EST Wednesday from Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:03:27 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221116080327.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221110114317.htm For the first time in its eight years orbiting Mars, NASA's MAVEN mission witnessed two different types of ultraviolet aurorae simultaneously, the result of solar storms that began on Aug. 27. Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:43:17 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221110114317.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221104093246.htm A new study finds the original crust on Mars is more complex, and evolved, than previously thought. Researchers have determined the Martian crust has greater concentrations of the chemical element silicon, which may mean Mars' original surface may have been similar to Earth's first crust. Fri, 04 Nov 2022 09:32:46 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221104093246.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027154210.htm NASA's InSight lander recorded a magnitude 4 marsquake last Dec. 24, but scientists learned only later the cause of that quake: a meteoroid strike estimated to be one of the biggest seen on Mars since NASA began exploring the cosmos. What's more, the meteoroid excavated boulder-size chunks of ice buried closer to the Martian equator than ever found before -- a discovery with implications for NASA's future plans to send astronauts to the Red Planet. Thu, 27 Oct 2022 15:42:10 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027154210.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027123931.htm Seismologists have developed a new method to scan the deep interior of planets in our solar system to confirm whether they have a core at the heart of their existence. Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:39:31 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027123931.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027123925.htm Until now, Mars has been generally considered a geologically dead planet. An international team of researchers now reports that seismic signals indicate vulcanism still plays an active role in shaping the Martian surface. Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:39:25 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027123925.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027123917.htm A recently released set of topography maps provides new evidence for an ancient northern ocean on Mars. The maps offer the strongest case yet that the planet once experienced sea-level rise consistent with an extended warm and wet climate, not the harsh, frozen landscape that exists today. Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:39:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027123917.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221025165705.htm As part of NASA's Artemis program to establish a long-term presence on the moon, it aims to build an Artemis base camp that includes a modern lunar cabin, rover and mobile home. This fixed habitat could potentially be constructed with bricks made of lunar regolith and saltwater, thanks to a recent discovery. Tue, 25 Oct 2022 16:57:05 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221025165705.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221025112601.htm Researchers have developed a new approach to balancing the risks and scientific value of sending planetary rovers into dangerous situations. Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:26:01 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221025112601.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221025112524.htm Scientists found that ancient bacteria could survive close to the surface on Mars much longer than previously assumed. So, if life did, in fact, evolve when the last waters flowed on Mars, it would likely still be there today -- billions of years later. Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:25:24 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221025112524.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221019090728.htm A long-term experiment aboard the International Space Station has tested the effect of space radiation on mouse embryonic stem cells. Their findings will contribute to helping scientists better assess the safety and risks related to space radiation for future human space flights. Wed, 19 Oct 2022 09:07:28 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221019090728.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221014200235.htm Mission engineers will track NASA's Lucy spacecraft nonstop as it prepares to swoop near Earth on Oct. 16 to use this planet's gravity to set itself on a course toward the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. Fri, 14 Oct 2022 20:02:35 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221014200235.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221004134320.htm 行星科学家们发现了一个潜在来源of a special kind of meteorite. Its characteristics could explain certain discrepancies in how near-Earth asteroids are classified. Tue, 04 Oct 2022 13:43:20 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221004134320.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221004104943.htm Most theories claim the Moon formed out of the debris of a collision between the Earth and an object about the size of Mars, called Theia, coalescing in orbit over months or years. A new simulation puts forth a different theory -- the Moon may have formed immediately, in a matter of hours, when material from the Earth and Theia was launched directly into orbit after the impact. Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:49:43 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221004104943.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220929133358.htm A research team has found asteroid impacts on the Moon millions of years ago coincided precisely with some of the largest meteorite impacts on Earth, such as the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. Thu, 29 Sep 2022 13:33:58 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220929133358.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220929132524.htm An international team of researchers has revealed new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. Thu, 29 Sep 2022 13:25:24 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220929132524.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220927095429.htm After 10 months flying in space, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) -- the world's first planetary defense technology demonstration -- successfully impacted its asteroid target on Monday, the agency's first attempt to move an asteroid in space. Tue, 27 Sep 2022 09:54:29 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220927095429.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220926200815.htm Astronomers believe bright reflections beneath the surface of Mars' South Pole are not necessarily evidence of liquid water, but instead geological layers. Mon, 26 Sep 2022 20:08:15 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220926200815.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220921113101.htm An international team of researchers with NASA's InSight mission located four new craters created by impacts on the surface of Mars. Using data from a seismometer and visuals acquired from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the team successfully calculated and confirmed the impact locations. Researchers have now captured the dynamics of an impact on Mars. Wed, 21 Sep 2022 11:31:01 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220921113101.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220919103154.htm Though Mars is a frozen desert today, scientists have shown that Mars contains evidence of ancient lakes that existed billions of years ago, which could contain evidence for ancient life and climate conditions on the red planet. Through a meta-analysis of years of satellite data that shows evidence for lakes on Mars, a geologist has proposed that scientists might have dramatically underestimated the number of ancient Martian lakes that once existed. Mon, 19 Sep 2022 10:31:54 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220919103154.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220916153722.htm NASA's Perseverance rover is well into its second science campaign, collecting rock-core samples from features within an area long considered by scientists to be a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life on Mars. Fri, 16 Sep 2022 15:37:22 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220916153722.htm