Category Archives: Mars

For those of you who fondly remember the campy, hilarious 1996 sci-fi film Mars Attacks!, starring Jack Nicholson, you may be interested to know that we are fast approaching the best opportunity to observe the red planet in our night sky since 2018.

And while this close approach of Mars wont include murderous bug-eyed aliens who wear their basketball-sized brains on the outside of their heads, it will allow even the most casual observer to be completely dazzled by how remarkably bright and colorful the planet will appeareven without a telescope or binoculars.

The close approach itself (or opposition), will take place on October 6. That evening, about an hour or two after sunset, youll see Mars shining like an orange-red searchlight low in the eastern sky. On average, the planet lies about 139 million miles from us, but on the night of the close approach it will be only 38.5 million miles from the Earth. If the skies are clear, it will be impossible to miss.

Over the course of that evening, Mars will climb higher and higher, until around 2 a.m., when it will be a bright, colorful beacon, high overhead in the southern sky before starting its slow descent, finally setting in the west shortly before sunrise the following morning.

And if its cloudy or raining? Dont worry! Although the best night to observe will be October 6, the fact is that for a few weeks both before and after that date, Mars will still be remarkably close and bright. As with many things astronomical, it wont suddenly appear or disappear; it will do both, gradually over time.

If you do happen to have a small telescope, this is a great time to take it out. Normally, Mars is so far away that even with a scope, its tough to see any kind of detail. But for the days and weeks leading up to and following this planetary opposition, youll find that even a small instrument may reveal some Martian featuresincluding its polar ice cap.

If it were not for Covid-19, members of the Local Group of Deep Sky Observers would set up telescopes for public observing, but in the interest of public health and safety, there is no observation event scheduled at this time.

Jonathan Sabin is the president of the Local Group of Deep Sky Observers, a club founded in 1983 for astronomy enthusiasts in the Sarasota-Manatee area. For more information, visit http://www.LGDSO.com.

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Mars Will Make Its Closest Appearance Since 2018 Next Month - Sarasota

China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft is performing well on its cruise to Mars and is preparing for its second trajectory correction maneuver, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

By Aug. 19 at 11:20 a.m. EDT (1520 GMT), the spacecraft, which includes an orbiter, lander and rover, was 5.11 million miles (8.23 million kilometers) away from Earth and operating normally, according to CNSA.

That same day, mission engineers began testing instruments on the orbiter, including the Mars magnetometer, the mineralogy spectrometer and the medium- and high-resolution remote-sensing cameras.

Related: On its way to Mars, Chinese spacecraft spots Earth and moon, aces steering maneuver

"So far everything is good. At present, we are following its 'health condition' during the flight, and will conduct regular checkups on it," Wang Chuang, chief designer of Tianwen-1, told Chinese media.

The Mars magnetometer will explore the magnetic environment on the planet. The Mars mineralogy spectrometer will analyze the composition and distribution of minerals. Meanwhile, the pair of cameras will map the Red Planet and study its morphology and geological structure.

The orbiter carries seven science payloads in total, with the rover carrying another six.

According to a further update from CNSA on Sunday (Aug. 23), Tianwen-1 was 5.76 million miles (9.27 million km) from Earth, with a total flight distance of 53.7 million miles (86.5 million km).

The spacecraft will carry out its second trajectory correction maneuver in September, according to CNSA. In total, Tianwen-1 will carry out four such operations before reaching Mars.

The first such trajectory correction maneuver was carried out on Aug. 1, with Tianwen-1 firing its main engine for 20 seconds. The spacecraft also imaged the Earth and the moon.

Tianwen-1 launched on July 23 on a Long March 5 rocket from Wenchang. It will arrive at Mars in February and enter orbit around the planet. The rover landing attempt will take place around April, targeting a southern portion of the Utopia Planitia region.

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China's Mars mission tests instruments on its way to the Red Planet - Space.com

The interior of Lava River Cave, shown here, has intact wall linings that showcase the basalt ... [+] interior of the lava tubes. While a "flat floor" may be rare inside lava tubes, both on Earth and Mars, and Martian lava tubes are likely much larger, the interior features should otherwise look much the same.

If you think life on Earth is hard, try living on Mars.

Mars, as photographed from the surface (L) and from space (R). The Martian surface has many ... [+] unattractive features for humans, including frequent dust storms, large amounts of radiation, enormous temperature swings, and frequent micrometeorite impacts.

With at atmosphere only 0.7% as thick as Earths, pure, liquid water is impossible on the Martian surface.

Seasonal frozen lakes appear throughout Mars, showing evidence of (not liquid) surface water. These ... [+] are just a few of the many lines of evidence that point to a watery past on Mars, but that support the idea that pure liquid water, without any impurities in it, cannot persist on the Martian surface due to the low atmospheric pressure.

With no active magnetic field, cosmic and solar radiation would be lethal to unshielded surface-dwelling humans.

Mars, the red planet, has no magnetic field to protect it from the solar wind, meaning that it loses ... [+] its atmosphere in a way that Earth doesn't. Additionally, solar and cosmic radiation makes it to the Martian surface whereas Earth's field deflects it away, posing a deadly, cancerous risk to any Martian surface-dwellers.

Additionally, temperatures swing by some 170 F (93 C) from day-to-night, presenting severe habitability challenges.

During Martian summers, dust storms frequently occur, which can effectively blot out the Sun for ... [+] weeks at a time to an observer on the Martian surface. If you don't want to get pieces of Mars's regiolith everywhere, you'll need some way to shelter yourself and your equipment from these frequent events. Mars can be seen before (L) and after (R) a dust storm.

Finally, dust storms abound, while small micrometeorites frequently impact Mars, posing threats to surface-dwellers.

Shown in the same colors that human eyes would see it, this iron-nickel meteorite represents the ... [+] first time that humanity ever discovered such a meteorite on the surface of Mars, from NASA's Opportunity rover. Mars is littered with craters large and small, and has its surface impacted by meteorites more frequently than Earth.

Fortunately, theres a subterranean solution to many of these problems: lava tubes.

Lava tubes, found on Earth, the Moon, and Mars, but expected to be on many planets, provide ... [+] underground shelter from harsh surface conditions. With the appropriate infrastructure, the first Martian settlements might benefit from using such a location instead of surface-dwelling.

In a new study, researchers conclude that Martian lava tubes have 10-1000 times the volume of terrestrial ones.

In 2014, Steve Jurvetson took this photograph inside a lava tube in Kona, Hawaii. The human remains ... [+] found inside support the idea that humans used the interiors of lava tubes for shelter. On Mars, these lava tubes could be significantly larger, possibly aiding a human endeavor to settle on Mars.

The reduced Martian gravity enables these tubes to reach diameters of up to 300 meters (1000 feet), with significantly longer lengths.

This illustration shows a cross-section of a Martian lava tube. There is a solid basaltic ... [+] wall/lining that is formed from hardened lava, while the liquid interior can be partially or completely drained away into an underground reservoir, creating the hollow tube.

The tubes themselves, meanwhile, remain structurally stable.

A lava tube "skylight" on the Martian volcano Pavonis Mons, which opens to an underground cavern 35 ... [+] meters (115 feet) across. When lava flows solidify on top but continue to flow in the liquid phase underneath, lava tubes can form. These underground rivers can later drain away, leaving an empty cavity inside.

Once boulders, dirt, and debris are removed, they could provide essential environmental shelter.

A dust storm on Mars, a common occurrence during the Martian summers. These storms were first ... [+] discovered by the Mariner 9 mission in 1971. While dust storms can pose severe habitability threats to humans on the surface, the interior of a lava tube should be sufficiently shielded from this threat.

Dust storms, external radiation, impacts, and temperature swings would all be greatly mitigated.

The Mars Curiosity rover not only gathers large amounts of scientific information from drilling, ... [+] baking, and laser-shooting various locations on the Martian surface, but also takes spectacular photos. What you cannot see, but what it has measured, is that temperatures can reach as high as 70 F during daytimes, but fall as low (in the same location) as -100 F at night.

With a sustained supply of food, water, power, and pressurized, breathable air, Martian lava tubes could successfully host human settlements.

Nhuku-Thurston Lava Tube, a natural formation that's part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is a ... [+] spectacular example of a large lava tube found on Earth. Owing to the reduced Martian gravity, researchers determined that Martian lava tubes could reach approximately the volume of the Empire State Building, 10 to 1000 times the volume of terrestrial lava tubes.

The first humans to colonize Mars might be cave-dwellers, skirting the harsh surface conditions.

Astronauts practice for space using an analog cave environment in Sardinia. The European Space ... [+] Agency program is called Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills (CAVES) and has sent dozens of astronauts underground.

Mostly Mute Monday tells an astronomical story in images, visuals, and no more than 200 words. Talk less; smile more.

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Yes, The First Humans On Mars Should Consider Becoming Cave-Dwellers - Forbes

A crisply rendered web application can show you where the agency's Mars 2020 mission is right now as it makes its way to the Red Planet for a Feb. 18, 2021, landing.

The last time we saw NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission was on July 30, 2020, as it disappeared into the black of deep space on a trajectory for Mars. But with NASA's Eyes on the Solar System, you can follow in real time as humanity's most sophisticated rover and the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter traveling with it treks millions of miles over the next six months to Jezero Crater.

"Eyes on the Solar System visualizes the same trajectory data that the navigation team uses to plot Perseverance's course to Mars," said Fernando Abilleira, the Mars 2020 mission design and navigation manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "If you want to follow along with us on our journey, that's the place to be."

Eyes on Perseverance: Give the Mars 2020 Perseverance spacecraft a spin. Fully interactive, Eyes on the Solar System doesn't just let you track it in real time as it travels to the Red Planet. Dozens of controls on pop-up menus allow you to customize not just what you see from faraway to right "on board." Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. View the full experience

Eyes doesn't just let you see the distance between the Red Planet and the spacecraft at this very moment. You can also fly formation with Mars 2020 or check the relative velocity between Mars and Earth or, say, the dwarf planet Pluto.

"With all our orbital assets circling Mars as well as Curiosity and InSight on its surface, there is new data and imagery coming in all the time about the Red Planet," said Jon Nelson, visualization technology and applications development supervisor at JPL. "Essentially, if you haven't seen Mars lately through Eyes on the Solar System, you haven't seen Mars."

Dozens of controls on pop-up menus allow you to customize not just what you see from faraway to right "on board" a spacecraft but also how you see it: Choose the 3D mode, and all you need is a pair of red-cyan anaglyph glasses for a more immersive experience.

You don't have to stop at Mars, either. You can travel throughout the solar system and even through time. The website not only uses real-time data and imagery from NASA's fleet of spacecraft, it's also populated with NASA data going back to 1950 and projected to 2050. Location, motion, and appearance are based on predicted and reconstructed mission data.

While you're exploring, take a deeper dive into our home planet with Eyes on the Earth and travel to distant worlds with Eyes on ExoPlanets.

More About the Mission

Managed for NASA by JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans.

For more information about the mission, go to:

mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

For more about NASA's Moon to Mars plans, visit:

nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars

News Media ContactsDC Agle / Andrew GoodJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-393-9011 / 818-393-2433david.c.agle@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

Alana Johnson / Grey HautaluomaNASA Headquarters, Washington202-672-4780 / 202-358-0668alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov / grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov

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Follow NASA's Perseverance Rover in Real Time on Its Way to Mars - NASA Mars Exploration

Figuring out the ancient climate on Mars has been tricky. While evidence gathered from orbit and on the surface seems to indicate there must have been a lot more water on Mars early in its history, questions remain on how much water and in what form.

A new study has now quantified the amount of precipitation needed to create many of the landforms visible today on Mars surface. The paper, published in the journal Geology says there was enough rainfall and snowmelt to fill lakebeds and river valleys 3.5 to 4 billion years ago on the Red Planet, and that precip must have occurred worldwide.

Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin found that precipitation must have been between 13 and 520 feet (4 to 159 meters) in a single episode to fill the lakes and, in some cases, provide enough water to overflow and breach the lake basins. While thats quite a large range of precipitation, the researchers said it helps narrow the gap in understanding which Mars climate models are most accurate.

Its a huge cognitive dissonance, said lead author Gaia Stucky de Quay, a postdoctoral fellow at UTs Jackson School of Geosciences. Climate models have trouble accounting for that amount of liquid water at that time. Its like, liquid water is not possible, but it happened. This is the knowledge gap that our work is trying to fill in.

More than 3.5 billion years ago, it is thought that Mars had a thick enough atmosphere for water to flow on its surface. Orbital pictures show vast river plains and possible ocean shorelines. Many of the Mars landers and rovers have found evidence of water-soaked rocks on the surface (such as hematite or clay). A persistant, outstanding question of Mars past is, if there was water, how long did it endure? If there was rainfall, how long did the rainfall or snowmelt last? Various studies argue just days, a few years or thousands of years.

And other research has indicated that many of the landforms and clays on Mars could possibly form without the presence of water. And scientists are still trying to understand that if Mars had a thick atmosphere in the past, why did it dissipate to the current thin blanket of air?

For this study, the researchers looked at 96 open-basin and closed-basin lakes and their watersheds, all thought to have formed between 3.5 billion and 4 billion years ago. Open lakes are those that have ruptured by overflowing water; closed ones, on the other hand, are intact. Using satellite images and topography, they measured lake and watershed areas, and lake volumes, and accounted for potential evaporation to figure out how much water was needed to fill the lakes.

By looking at ancient closed and open lakes, and the river valleys that fed them, the team was able to determine a minimum and maximum precipitation. They said the closed lakes offer a glimpse at the maximum amount of water that could have fallen in a single event without breaching the side of the lake basin. The open lakes show the minimum amount of water required to overtop the lake basin, causing the water to rupture a side and rush out.

In 13 cases, researchers discovered coupled basins containing one closed and one open basin that were fed by the same river valleys which offered key evidence of both maximum and minimum precipitation in one single event, the team said.

This isnt the first study to suggest massive rainfall on ancient Mars. In 2017, geologists Robert Craddock and Ralph Lorenz showed that there was enough rainfall in the past to change the planets surface, and they proposed that that very early on, the atmospheric pressure on Mars would have been about the same as Earths allowing for large enough water droplets to form in Mars clouds and fall to the ground.

But this new study is the first to offer a range of the quantity of the rainfall. Stucky de Quay said the next step in their research is to figure out how long the climate on Mars allowed for rainfall.

Source: University of Texas at Austin

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It Rained So Hard on Ancient Mars that Craters Filled Up and Overflowed - Universe Today

Aug. 26 (UPI) -- If bacteria form thick enough aggregates -- large populations of bacteria cells with multicellular structures -- they could partially survive the long trip to Mars, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

To better understand the resiliency of bacteria aggregates, researchers dried, or desiccated, different-sized aggregates of a radioresistant bacteria strain belonging to the genus Deinococcus, and placed them in exposure panels outside of the International Space Station.

After spending one to three years outside the space station, scientists tested for the survival of the bacterial colonies. Researchers confirmed partial survival in all the aggregates thicker than 0.5 millimeters.

"The results suggest that radioresistant Deinococcus could survive during the travel from Earth to Mars and vice versa, which is several months or years in the shortest orbit," lead researcher Akihiko Yamagishi, professor of life sciences at Tokyo University, said in a news release.

Though the outer layers of cells in each of the bacteria aggregate had died, these layers formed a protective barrier, allowing portions of the bacteria colony to survive up to three years in space.

The findings could have implications for the search for alien life, researchers said.

Scientists have previously hypothesized that life didn't have spontaneously emerge on Earth. Bacteria could have arrived from elsewhere, via the theoretical migration of microbes through space, or "panspermia."

Others have questioned whether bacteria could survive prolonged exposure to dramatic temperature fluctuations, radiation and other space-based hazards.

"The origin of life on Earth is the biggest mystery of human beings. Scientists can have totally different points of view on the matter," Yamagishi said. "Some think that life is very rare and happened only once in the universe, while others think that life can happen on every suitable planet. If panspermia is possible, life must exist much more often than we previously thought."

Scientists have previously found Deinococcus bacteria drifting as high as 7.5 miles above Earth's surface. Now, scientists can confirm that Deinococcus aggregates can live for up to three years in space.

To better gauge the plausibility of panspermia, scientists must now study bacteria's ability to survive the ejection and landing phases of a theoretical journey from one planet to another.

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Bacteria could survive the trip to Mars in the form of thick aggregates - UPI News

On August 14, a scheduled course correction slightly altered the path ofMars 2020on its journey to the Red Planet. Another correction will come on September 30, 62 days after launch. On February 10 and 16, 2021, another pair of corrections will guide the spacecraft to its proper trajectory to Mars. Mission planners hope everything is aligned at that time, but they still have two other chances to fine-tune the course of the spacecraft guiding it toward a safe entry into the atmosphere of Mars on February 17 and just eight hours before Mars reaches its destination.

Touchdown is scheduled for February 18, 2021. For the first few weeks, Ingenuity will remained stowed to the Perseverance rover. In spring 2021, the Martian Helicopter will separate from Perseverance, and the rover will drive away.

Five flights are planned for the interplanetary whirlybird. Mars has been examined by flybys and orbiters, studied by landers, and scoured by rovers. But never before hasMars(or any planet) been examined by an aerial vehicle, soaring through the air surrounding an alien planet. The NASA video below shows a look at the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, headed to a historic flight on the Red Planet.

Several challenges faced designers of the Mars Helicopter, not the least of which is that the atmosphere of Mars is only one percent as thick as ours on Earth. To compensate, engineers designed extremely lightweight blades, 1.2 meters (four feet) across.

Ingenuity features four specially made carbon-fiber blades, arranged into two rotors that spin in opposite directions at around 2,400 rpm many times faster than a passenger helicopter on Earth. It also has innovative solar cells, batteries, and other components, the NASA team describes.

Thefrigid environment of Marsrequired the vehicle to withstand temperatures as low as -90 Celsius (-130 Fahrenheit). These temperatures alone will test the limits of technology employed on the craft.

The Mars Helicopter, standing 49 cm (19 inches) tall, is constructed from two kilograms (four pounds) of off-the-shelf materials and new technologies. Once deployed from the 1,025 kilogram (2,000 pound) Perseverance, Ingenuity will be powered solely by its own solar power.

The significant distance between Earth andMarsprevents ground crew from controlling the interplanetary helicopter directly, due to time delays between the two planets. Therefore, Ingenuity will receive its planned flights well in advance, and will have autonomy to reach its goal safely. Only after the flights will human controllers know what happened during the tests.

Ingenuity will use solar power to charge its batteries and rely on internal heaters to maintain operational temperatures during the cold Martian nights. After receiving commands from Earth relayed through the rover, each test flight is performed without real-time input from Mars Helicopter mission controllers,mission engineers explain.

The small size of the craft meant engineers had to develop new technologies small and light enough to fly aboard an automated helicopter in the thin Martian atmosphere. These instruments and equipment also have to survive the harsh Martian environment, requiring designers to develop several new technologies.

But many of its other components are commercial, off-the-shelf parts from the world of smart phones, including two cameras, an inertial measurement unit (measuring movement), an altimeter (measuring altitude), an inclinometer (measuring tilt angles) and computer processors,Jet Propulsion Laboratoryreports.

The pair of eyes on the Mars Helicopter include one color and one black-and-white camera.

The name of the helicopter was first envisioned by Vaneeza Rupani, a high school student in Northport, Alabama. Although Rupani suggested the idea to NASA for the Perseverance rover, the space agency recognized the name as ideal for theMarsHelicopter.

Ingenuity survived launch, and if the vehicle comes through the journey, landing, deployment, and frozen nights during pre-flight checks, this drone will be ready for 31 days of flight tests.

Should these test flights prove successful, the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity will open up a new dimension in the exploration of the atmospheres and landscapes of other worlds. Future aerial vehicles could, one day, explore Mars, as well asVenus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and Saturns largest moon, Titan.

This article was originally published on The Cosmic Companion by James Maynard, founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion. He is a New England native turned desert rat in Tucson, where he lives with his lovely wife, Nicole, and Max the Cat. You can read this original piece here.

Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion is also available as a weekly podcast, carried on all major podcast providers. Tune in every Tuesday for updates on the latest astronomy news, and interviews with astronomers and other researchers working to uncover the nature of the Universe.

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This Mars helicopter will be the first ever to fly on another planet - The Next Web

Lava tubes are caves created by lava as it flows from a volcanic vent beneath a hardened surface. On Earth, these lava tubes can be found in Hawaii, the Canary Islands, Australia and Iceland. They range in diameter from 33 to 98 feet.

Lunar tubes on the moon and Mars could be longer than 25 miles, according to a new study using satellite images, radar data, spacecraft observations of features called skylights belonging to collapsed lava tubes and digital terrain models of lava tubes on the moon and Mars.

The researchers compared these to lava tubes on Earth and found that lunar caves could reach 1 kilometer in diameter, or 3280.84 feet -- which could accommodate the tallest buildings on Earth.

Lower gravity, and how it effects volcanism, the scientists believe, could explain these exceptionally large tubes.

The lava tubes beneath the moon's surface are so large that they could, in fact, hold Padua's entire city center, said Riccardo Pozzobon, study coauthor and planetary geologist in the department of geosciences of the University of Padua in Italy.

The lava tubes beneath the surface of the moon have also remained largely intact due to low gravity. Any collapsed lava tubes on the moon are likely due to asteroid impacts, the researchers said. And those skylights could actually provide access to the tubes.

These lava tubes could help shelter astronauts, as well as provide new information about the moon and Mars.

"The existence of stable huge voids below the Moon subsurface, potentially accessible through skylights, could change the paradigm on how we approach planetary exploration in terms of mission design, planetary human outposts and scientific research," said Pozzobon and Franceso Sauro, study author and professor in the department of biological, geological and environmental sciences at the University of Bologna.

"Accessing these caves and (analyzing) this type of subsurface environment will present new technological challenges but also could provide unexpected scientific discoveries."

Exploring caves on the moon and Mars

For astronauts exploring the harsh environments and fluctuating temperatures of the moon and Mars, the lava tubes could provide natural shelter from radiation, impacts by micrometeorites and unstable temperatures.

Micrometeorites pose a danger not only to astronauts, but the habitats and life support equipment they'll need on the moon and Mars. The caves could be used to live in and store equipment.

It's even possible that the tubes could provide access to water ice reservoirs, the researchers said.

"But the challenges in order to access these caves and sustain human activity are nonetheless massive," the researchers said.

The caves also present dangers and risks of their own.

The tubes will likely contain boulders, sloping floors and shifting rocky material. If future missions plan to utilize the tubes, cranes or tethered descents may be needed to access the entrances because they're likely to be more like vertical shafts.

"Once below, we should not be too confident to find a flat floor (although it is possible) but instead piles of collapsed boulders from the ceiling or the walls, which are razor-sharp and could harm inflatable modules and spacesuits," the researchers said.

Astronauts would also need to be able to properly illuminate their space because the rocks inside the caves will likely be pitch-black. But power is a precious commodity, especially when traveling to the moon or Mars, so developing the right kind of illumination will be key.

Studying the inside of these caves could reveal what volcanic activity was like on the moon and Mars and when it occurred. What's more, such research could provide key insights about the interior composition of these planetary bodies.

The lava tubes' interiors could also reveal "niches that could be ideal for hosting life (on Mars) or could have preserved signs of past life, not obliterated by the sterilizing and ionizing UV/cosmic radiation that affects the surface and the near subsurface," the scientists said.

Preparing astronauts for the journey

Astronauts preparing to explore such caves would need training in traversing vertically developed environments and cave exploration. These expeditions would also require preparation for the challenges of exploring a natural environment with uneven terrain, sharp rocks, rock falls and other unpredictable hazards, the researchers said.

This would involve training for normal exploration operations and emergency situations as well.

Since 2012, These programs have trained astronauts how to explore underground caves and understand planetary geology, including lava tubes on Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands.

"So far, 36 astronauts from five space agencies have received training in cave hiking; moreover, six astronauts and four mission and operation specialists have received geological field training," said Jo De Waele, study coauthor and speleologist at the University of Bologna.

"It is for sure a big challenge, but it is now clear for all space agencies that while we have already a good knowledge of the surface of the Moon, one of the main steps forward for space exploration would be to demonstrate the capability of exploring the subsurface of a planetary body," Sauro said.

The call for ideas from universities and the space industry is seeking new technologies that could be developed to land on the moon and explore lunar caves.

Next, the researchers want to learn more about these tubes, including the creation of 3D laser scans and understanding their chemistry.

"When we (have) a figure of their subsurface development through remote sensing, then we will be able to provide the most promising targets for future space robotic or human mission to start the exploration of these features," the researchers said.

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Massive lava tubes on the moon and Mars could be used by astronauts - CNN

No, Mars will NOT be as big as the Moon on August 27!

Its almost Mars-Moon hoax or two Moon hoax day, but rest assured there will be no Mars-Moon spectacular on August 27.

Every two years social media posts claim that Mars will be as big as the full Moon on on August 27.

Its fake news.

Sadly, the hoax has been going on for 17 years and youre very likely to see these bizarre claims it on social media in the coming week.

Lets get this straight: Mars will never appear to be as large as the full Moon in our sky.

If only the hoax were trueit would be much easier to see the surface of Mars! said Martin Griffiths, a Wales-based science communicator, professional astronomer at Dark Sky Wales and author of Dark Land, Dark Skies: The Mabinogion in the Night Sky. Mars and the Moon cannot possibly be the same size in the skythe Moon is much closer and therefore is always going to be the bigger astronomical object.

The hoax dates from 2003 when Mars and the Earth were, technically, closer than they had been for a few thousands years ... though the Mars as big as the Moon was a misunderstanding; in fact, a telescope has to be used to get anything approaching an impressive view of Mars.

However, Mars and the Moon do get very close to each other each month this summer, and on September 5, 2020 they will appear in conjunction to the naked eye.

Thats going to be a beautiful sight, and though Mars will look bright, it wont look big. They might be in the same place, but that doesnt mean theyre the same size, said Griffiths.

Heres everything you need to know about the Mars-Moon hoax, and when to see the two celestial objects at their best together in the night sky.

Mars becomes a thing for us Earthlings to discuss roughly every two years. Thats because Earth takes 365 days to orbit the Sun and Mars takes a slower 687 days. Thats 1.88 Earth years, which puts Mars and Earth reasonably close to an orbital resonance of 2:1.

So just over every two years Earth catches-up on Mars and the planets briefly line-up. At that point theyre closest together, and Mars looks its brightest and largest in the night sky.

However, the red planet still looks pretty small.

Why is the Mars hoax wrong? Obviously Mars is much larger than the Moon, but its also much, much further away. On average Mars is 142 million miles away from Earth, and on August 27, 2020, it will be 47.5 million miles away. It will get closest to Earth on October 13, 2020 when it will be 38.6 million miles distant.

Meanwhile, the Moon is, on average, just 238,900 miles from Earth. Sure, the Moon is smaller than Mars in real termsabout half the size, in fact. However, to appear to be as big as the Moon, Mars would need to be about twice the Earth-Moon distance, so about 476,000 miles.

On September 5, 2020 the Moon will appear to be close to Mars ... and far, far bigger and brighter.

On the evening of September 5, 2020, the Moon will make a close approach to the red planet. Look east after dark to see the two in conjunction.

However, even then the Moon wont be full. It will be 86% illuminated, known as a waning gibbous Moon.

So, the Moon and Mars will be in conjunction, but at no point will the latter match the former for size.

This is another weird part of the hoax. The hoax gives the impression of two full orb-like objects, yet theres rarely going to be a full Moon on August 27 ... this year the closest one is on September 2, 2020.

Mars will come into opposition this October 2020.

On October 13, 2020, Mars will reachopposition. At that point it will be closest to Earth, 100% illuminated from our point of view, and shine at its brightest in our night sky. It will also rise at dusk and set at dawn, making it the ideal time to put a telescope on our near neighbor.

Technically speaking, Mars will look its best since 2003, but dont get too excited. Mars is only about as half as big as Earthits not a big planet and although it will get bright during opposition, that doesnt mean its going to be huge, said Griffiths. People will get excitedespecially with the Perseverance rover on the way to Marsbut the problem we always have is that Mars through a telescope is disappointingly small. Its really hard to see anything on its surface.

So, next Thursday, August 27, dont go outside looking for something astounding because Mars will not be the size of the Moon.

However, wait until September 5, 2020 you will see a beautiful Moon-Mars conjunction.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

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No, Mars Wont Be As Big As The Moon On August 27. Heres When And Where To See Them Together - Forbes

Did you know you can track the progress of NASAs Perseverance rover in real time as it travels tens of millions of miles toward Mars?

This weekend NASA pointed space fans to its interactive Eyes on the Solar System desktop app that lets you track the current location of the Mars 2020 rover, among a bunch of other awesome features.

Eyes on the Solar System visualizes the same trajectory data that the navigation team uses to plot Perseverances course to Mars, said Fernando Abilleira, the Mars 2020 mission design and navigation manager at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, adding, If you want to follow along with us on our journey, thats the place to be.

Perseverance, which began its mammoth journey aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 30, is scheduled to reach the Martian surface in February 2021.

Besides revealing the precise distance between the red planet and the spacecraft at any given moment, the app also lets you fly in formation with Perseverance, or check the relative velocity between Mars and Earth or, say, the dwarf planet Pluto. Other controls let you compare the size of the rover with a human, a school bus, and a sports stadium.

The Eyes on the Solar System app also lets you travel throughout the solar system and even through time, with lots of interesting information also offered on other NASA missions.

The app features a simple mode with tabs for destinations, missions, news, and people, and an advanced mode offering lots of customization options. It even has a 3D mode where if you have a pair of red-cyan anaglyph glasses handy you can enjoy an even more immersive experience.

With all our orbital assets circling Mars as well as Curiosity and InSight on its surface, there is new data and imagery coming in all the time about the red planet, said Jon Nelson, visualization technology and applications development supervisor at JPL. Essentially, if you havent seen Mars lately through Eyes on the Solar System, you havent seen Mars.

To locate Perseverances current position, click on the sliders icon at the bottom right of the apps display, then use the scroll wheel on your mouse (or the wheel at the right end of the control panel) to zoom in toward Earth. When Mars 2020 appears, click on it to zoom in further, and then use the buttons in the control panel to find out more.

When it reaches the Martian surface, Perseverance will search for signs of ancient life, gather rock and soil samples for return to Earth, and collect data for future human exploration of the distant planet. Its also carrying a small helicopter-like machine called Ingenuity thats set to become the first aircraft to fly on another planet.

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Follow NASAs Perseverance rover in real time as it heads toward Mars - Digital Trends