Terramechanics research aims to keep Mars rovers rolling
In May 2009, the Mars rover Spirit cracked through a crusty layer of Martian topsoil, sinking into softer underlying sand. The unexpected sand trap permanently mired the vehicle, despite months of...
View ArticleMaking Martian clouds on Earth
At first glance, Mars’ clouds might easily be mistaken for those on Earth: Images of the Martian sky, taken by NASA’s Opportunity rover, depict gauzy, high-altitude wisps, similar to our cirrus clouds....
View ArticleAsteroids' close encounters with Mars
For nearly as long as astronomers have been able to observe asteroids, a question has gone unanswered: Why do the surfaces of most asteroids appear redder than meteorites — the remnants of asteroids...
View ArticleExploring Mars with the Curiosity rover: The search for ancient habitable...
NASA Curiosity rover chief scientist John Grotzinger will present a public lecture at MIT on Friday, May 9, centered on NASA’s $2.5 billion Curiosity rover mission to Mars.The Curiosity rover mission,...
View ArticleGoing to the Red Planet
Whenever the first NASA astronauts arrive on Mars, they will likely have MIT to thank for the oxygen they breathe — and for the oxygen needed to burn rocket fuel that will launch them back home to...
View ArticleMars One (and done?)
In 2012, the “Mars One” project, led by a Dutch nonprofit, announced plans to establish the first human colony on the Red Planet by 2025. The mission would initially send four astronauts on a one-way...
View ArticleAlumna takes up space on Saturday mornings
Move over Saturday morning cartoons, there’s a new space show in town. Emily Calandrelli SM ’13 is the host and co-producer of Xploration Outer Space, a new FOX series that explores space and big...
View ArticleMichael Collins: “I could have been the last person to walk on the moon”
Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins was part of the three-person crew that flew on mankind’s first mission to land on the moon, but he was the one who remained in orbit and never got to the lunar...
View ArticleTo save on weight, a detour to the moon is the best route to Mars
Launching humans to Mars may not require a full tank of gas: A new MIT study suggests that a Martian mission may lighten its launch load considerably by refueling on the moon.Previous studies have...
View ArticleInterplanetary architecture
We are in the midst of a “Mars moment.” This fall, the Matt Damon film, "The Martian," a story about a stranded astronaut who must learn to survive on Mars, grossed a whopping $55 million at the box...
View ArticleGetting real — on Mars
NASA wants you to know that it’s only a matter of months before you can wake up in a Martian habitat, grab some breakfast, jump into your spacesuit, and head out for a stroll across the Red Planet’s...
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Avoiding stumbles, from spacewalks to sidewalks
Video of astronauts tripping over moon rocks can make for entertaining Internet viewing, but falls in space can jeopardize astronauts’ missions and even their lives. Getting to one’s feet in a bulky,...
View ArticleNew technique may help detect Martian life
In 2020, NASA plans to launch a new Mars rover that will be tasked with probing a region of the planet scientists believe could hold remnants of ancient microbial life. The rover will collect samples...
View ArticlePrepping a robot for its journey to Mars
Sarah Hensley is preparing an astronaut named Valkyrie for a mission to Mars. It is 6 feet tall, weighs 300 pounds, and is equipped with an extended chest cavity that makes it look distinctly female....
View ArticleRocket woman
Less than 10 years out of MIT, Shana Diez ’02, SM ’03 had helped design and build a commercial spacecraft that could travel into orbit and ferry cargo to and from the International Space Station. Now...
View ArticleCommercial space: Can we privatize our way to the stars?
The new space race is on. Since the early 2000s, multiple private companies — such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin — have been developing and deploying rockets and other technologies to...
View ArticleMars city living: Designing for the Red Planet
How will people live on Mars? An MIT team developed a design concept addressing this question as part of Mars City Design 2017, an international competition focused on sustainable cities on Mars to be...
View Article3 Questions: Roger Summons on finding organic matter on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover has found evidence of complex organic matter preserved in the topmost layers of the Martian surface, scientists report today in the journal Science. While the new results are far...
View ArticleNetworks in aerospace
Along with asteroids, the moon, and the International Space Station, there are hundreds of small, 10-centimeter cubes orbiting planet Earth. Alexa Aguilar, a first-year graduate student in the...
View ArticleInvestigating Earth’s earliest life
In the second grade, Kelsey Moore became acquainted with geologic time. Her teachers instructed the class to unroll a giant strip of felt down a long hallway in the school. Most of the felt was solid...
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