NASA's Curiosity rover faced an unexpected challenge during a recent sampling attempt on the Martian surface.
The rover's drill became stuck on a rock slab approximately 1.5 feet wide and weighing nearly 30 pounds after an attempt on April 29. Cameras captured the incident, showing the rock attached to the drill bit, an occurrence never seen in the rover's 14 years on Mars despite prior drilling activities.
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NASA's Artemis II crew became the first humans in over 50 years to loop around the moon's far side on April 6, traveling farther from Earth than any before them. The astronauts captured unprecedented views, including close-ups of craters and a unique solar eclipse. They are now heading back for a splashdown off California on April 10.
NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered a variety of organic molecules on Mars, including compounds similar to DNA building blocks. The findings, from an innovative chemical experiment, suggest the planet's surface can preserve ancient organics potentially billions of years old. Scientists emphasize that while promising, the molecules do not confirm past life.
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Scientists from the University of Basel, ETH Zurich, and the European Space Agency have tested a quadrupedal robot equipped with a robotic arm to explore planetary surfaces more efficiently. The robot navigated rocky terrain autonomously, identifying targets and collecting data faster than traditional human-guided methods. The findings, published this week, suggest it could accelerate resource prospecting and searches for signs of life on the moon and Mars.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed that the two delivered habitable modules for the Lunar Gateway space station, HALO and I-HAB, have corrosion issues. The revelation came during Congressional testimony and adds to reasons for pausing the program to prioritize lunar surface missions. Northrop Grumman and the European Space Agency are addressing the problem.
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Researchers have demonstrated that the extremophile bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans can endure extreme pressures mimicking an asteroid impact on Mars. In lab experiments, the microbe withstood forces up to 3 GPa, with 60% survival rate. The findings suggest microorganisms could potentially be ejected into space and survive.
NASA has completed initial evaluations of the Artemis II mission systems following the crew's safe return from a lunar flyby earlier this month. The Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket performed as expected, setting a new record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth. Minor issues arose with the toilet system, but the crew resolved them successfully.
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NASA has set March 6 as the earliest possible launch date for the Artemis II mission following a successful second fueling test of its Space Launch System rocket. The test at Kennedy Space Center resolved issues from an earlier attempt marred by a hydrogen leak. The mission will send four astronauts around the Moon in a crewed test of the Orion spacecraft.