Mars

NASA charts course to a permanent lunar outpost and a nuclear‑propelled Mars vehicle

The updated exploration plan details surface habitat concepts, cargo and power infrastructure, and a nuclear thermal propulsion pathfinder for crewed deep-space transit.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Spacecraft transfer with rocket to the Moon to the launch pad.
New information regarded as strong evidence Mars had ‘vacation beaches’. Illustration.

NASA rover detects electrical discharges - 'mini-lightning' - on Mars

The six-wheeled rover, exploring Mars since 2021 at a locale called Jezero Crater in its northern hemisphere, picked up these electrical discharges in audio and electromagnetic recordings.

|ByREUTERS
New Glenn Rocket Launch: The Beginning of a Historic Mars Mission.

The race to Mars: NASA’s mission that could change the game

NASA’s ESCAPADE mission seeks to reveal why Mars lost its atmosphere and water, launching after years of delays and challenges. Scientists hope it will shed light on the planet’s past.

|ByDR. ITAY GAL
Israelis swim in the "Disappearing Lake" in Timna Park, in the southern Israeli desert, on September 9, 2017

Israeli desert microorganisms survive harsh climate, offer clues to life on Mars

The findings may redefine the known boundaries of life on Earth and offer a model for what microbial life might look like on Mars or other arid planets.

|ByPESACH BENSON/TPS

Get your telescopes ready: Five planets to align on Monday

Scientists recommend finding a clear view of the western horizon and using binoculars to view the planets.

MARCH 26, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
This artist's impression shows two Earth-sized worlds passing in front of their parent red dwarf star, which is much smaller and cooler than our Sun. The star and its orbiting planets TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c reside 40 light-years away.

Happy Pi Day: Can you solve NASA's space challenges?

Pi is essential for studying the universe, so NASA uses it often. Students can solve some real problems related to Pi that NASA had to deal with in the past.

MARCH 14, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
In honor of the mathematical constant pi – and its many uses in space exploration – the annual NASA Pi Day Challenge offers four math problems involving real NASA missions and science.

Warming up in Mars? BGU finds polymers that heat up when exposed to LED

Materials that catalyze faster can be used in a wide range of fields, including pharmaceuticals and future Mars habitats.

JANUARY 30, 2023ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
An artist’s illustration of a NASA rover making its way to the Martian surface.

NASA, DARPA to develop nuclear rocket engine as soon as 2027

A nuclear thermal engine for a space rocket could be three or more times as efficient as conventional chemical rockets.

JANUARY 25, 2023ByTZVI JOFFRE
Artist concept of Demonstration for Rocket to Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) spacecraft, which will demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine.

UAE launches rover to moon while eying more investment in space

The Arab world’s first lunar mission is set to explore likely payoffs of further space exploration.

DECEMBER 13, 2022ByOMNIA AL DESOUKIE/ THE MEDIA LINE
A representation of Mars and the Hope Probe is seen at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre ahead of its launch from Tanegashima Island in Japan, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates July 19, 2020.

UAE launches rover to moon while eying more investment in space

The Arab world’s first lunar mission is set to explore likely payoffs of further space exploration.

DECEMBER 13, 2022ByOMNIA AL DESOUKIE/ THE MEDIA LINE
A representation of Mars and the Hope Probe is seen at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre ahead of its launch from Tanegashima Island in Japan, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates July 19, 2020.

Mars Perseverance rover finds organic molecules that could indicate life

New findings could indicate an environment hospitable for life was once on the Red Planet, but more research is needed.

NOVEMBER 27, 2022ByTZVI JOFFRE
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie near rock nicknamed “Rochette,” found on Jezero Crater’s floor, on Sept. 10, 2021, the 198th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

NASA aims to send astronauts to live, work on moon by 2030

NASA launched its Artemis I mission from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Wednesday, following a series of delays.

NOVEMBER 23, 2022ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, lifts off from launch complex 39-B on the unmanned Artemis1 mission to the moon at Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, November 16, 2022.

South Africa's new ground station to help NASA track space flights

Close to key communication and transport infrastructure, the remote site was chosen due to its geographic location with clear skies and low radio interference.

NOVEMBER 8, 2022ByREUTERS
NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) with the Orion crew capsule perched on top, stands on launch complex 39B as rain clouds move into the area before its rescheduled debut test launch for the Artemis 1 mission at Cape Canaveral, Florida, US September 2, 2022.

Is there life on Mars? Conan the Barbarian bacteria suggests maybe - study

The discovery that Conan the Bacterium could have survived Mars-like conditions suggests that bacteria native to the Red Planet might have developed the capacity to do the same.

NOVEMBER 1, 2022ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
D. radiodurans (nicknamed “Conan the Bacterium”) is particularly well-suited to surviving the harsh environment of Mars.