• Mars Has Lots of Water, But It’s Out of Reach

    Mars Has Lots of Water, But It’s Out of Reach
    Mars was once wet, but now its surface is desiccated. Its meagre atmosphere contains only a tiny trace amount of water vapour. But new research says the planet contains ample liquid water. Unfortunately, it’s kilometres under the surface, well out of reach.
    The question of what happened to Mars’ water is an enduring one. There’s ample evidence showing that water flowed across the planet’s surface, carving out river channels, creating sediment deltas, and filling lakes. It
  • A Hopper Could Explore Over 150km of Triton’s Surface In Two Years

    A Hopper Could Explore Over 150km of Triton’s Surface In Two Years
    Neptune’s largest moon, Triton, is one of the most biologically interesting places in the solar system. Despite being hard to reach, it appears to have active volcanoes, a thin atmosphere, and even some organic molecules called tholins on its surface. However, Voyager only visited it once, in passing, 35 years ago. Technology has advanced a lot in the intervening decades, and a new push for a lander on Triton specifically has been garnering attention. One such mission was described by Stev
  • Can Meteor Showers Be Dangerous to Spacecraft?

    Can Meteor Showers Be Dangerous to Spacecraft?
    We’ve all read the advice, during a meteor shower there is no equipment needed. All you need to do is lay back and wonder at one of the most spectacular sights the universe has to offer. That’s about it though and while you lay back on a lounger and watch it really can be a wonderfully grounding and relaxing experience. Unless you happen to be on National TV and miss a meteor behind your head and just tell the world there’s nothing to see. Not that I’m bitter about that o
  • NASA is Looking for a Commercial Partner to Save VIPER

    NASA is Looking for a Commercial Partner to Save VIPER
    Space exploration has led the world in that wonderful human ability to co-operate, alas history shows we don’t do it quite as much as we should! Recently NASA has put a request out to the wider community for ideas for their VIPER rover which was designed for lunar exploration. The exact purpose of VIPER was to hunt for volatile minerals in the polar regions of the Moon. The big question, will NASA get any takers?Lunar exploration has really kicked up a gear again in recent years. NASA have
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