NASA’s robotic spacecraft Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars on July 4, 1997. It was carrying a small rover named Sojourner and with that landing, Sojourner became the first operational rover on another planet.
Category Archives: Mars
Viking 1 Entered Mars Orbit on June 19, 1976
On June 19, 1976, NASA!s Viking 1 Orbiter was inserted into Mars orbit. Both Viking 1 and Viking 2 spacecraft were consisting of an orbiter and a lander.
Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to orbit Mars was launched on May 30, 1971
On May 30, 1971, Mariner 9 robotic spacecraft was launched from LC-36B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on top of an Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D rocket. It reached Mars on November 14 of the same year and became the first spacecraft to orbit Mars, and in general, another planet.
A door on Mars? Here’s how do we see things in space that aren’t there
Enthusiasts lit up social media recently with images of what appeared to be a “doorway” into a hillside on Mars. Was it, some wondered, evidence that the red planet could be, or have been, inhabited by aliens? The “door on Mars” was imaged by Nasa’s Curiosity rover on May 7 on the slopes of Mount …
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Bagnold Dunes: a geological formation on Mars with breathtaking scenery
In November 2015, NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover started exploring the Bagnold Dunes, a 35-kilometer-long (about 22 miles) and 1-2 km wide (0.62-1.25 mi) group of dark grey dunes in the Gale Crater on Mars, on the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. The dunes are named after the 20th-century desert explorer, geologist, and soldier Ralph Alger …
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Viral “Remove Before Flight” James Webb meme was an April Fool
The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that that viral “Remove Before Flight” James Webb Space Telescope meme was actually an April Fool from 2016.
Will Martian colonists be able to access the Internet?
If we can colonize Mars in the coming decades, will Martian colonists be able to access the Internet?
A historic selfie from Zhurong, the Chinese Mars Rover
Zhurong, the China National Space Administration’s Mars rover sent a historic selfie from the surface of the red planet: the rover went forward, placed a camera on the ground, and went back towards the Tianwen-1 lander for an amazing group photo – quite an effort!
Curiosity Rover’s Stunning 360-Degree View Atop Mont Mercou on Mars
NASA has published a stunning 360-degree view atop Mont Mercou of the Curiosity Mars rover. The panorama is stitched together from 132 individual images taken on April 15, 2021, the 3,090th Martian day (or sol) of the mission. You can see the amazing panorama by using the arrows in the top left on the video, …
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Ingenuity the Mars helicopter performs its first flight (Video)
Great news – NASA’s Ingenuity the Mars helicopter performs its first flight. It is the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.
