Failing again. Failing better.
Published in Geology magazine, a recent study indicates that Mars’s mantle contains approximately as much water as Earth’s mantle. “The research was led by former Carnegie postdoctoral scientist Francis McCubbin, now at the University of New Mexico. The analysis was performed by Carnegie Institution investigator Erik Hauri and team.” By analyzing two meteorites that originated…
In July, the final shuttle, STS-135, landed, and the U.S. had no next-generation vehicle waiting on a nearby launchpad. The planned Constellation program has been killed, so U.S. astronauts must rely on the Russian Soyuz craft or possibly commercial craft to get to the International Space Station until the next vehicle is ready. Although NASA…
Today, gizmodo.com posted a great analysis of Tiangong-1, China’s first space lab, successfully launched yesterday. The launch is only the first of several test stations. China’s goal is to have a 60-ton space station in orbit by 2020, and then landing men on the Moon and Mars. China’s goal still pales in comparison to the…
As discussed here, Russia is hosting “Mars 500,” a 500-day-long simulation of an expedition to Mars using European, Russian, and Chinese volunteer “Marsonauts.” Be sure to check out the interactive timeline here. A trip to Mars would be the longest human spaceflight ever attempted. Although space has increased from that of the Gemini program (akin…
As discussed here, if Mars is to become a second home for humans, it will be a long and risky process, but it presents a historic opportunity as well. Think of it as the 21st century version of the Mayflower expedition (as Buzz Aldrin put it in a Vanity Fair interview), but with scientists and…