Welcome to the Red Planet Report. Our mission here is to scan the latest scientific research concerning Mars and give you short posts written at a basic level on the most interesting and noteworthy findings. All we assume is that you have an interest in keeping on top of what’s happening with Mars.
We’ll draw from recently published scientific reports, papers, and other findings. Roughly 25 Mars-related papers are published every month in various journals, but few of these fit the profile of “interesting” or “noteworthy.” We’ll check them all out and tell you about the important ones. The first few posts will draw on papers that appeared in the last few months, but future posts will appear as new papers are published.
Who are we? This is coming from the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University in Tempe. Responsible for the site’s content are Philip Christensen, Regents’ Professor of Geological Sciences, and Robert Burnham, science writer and public information officer. The scientists and researchers here are operating instruments on NASA spacecraft at Mars. The main instrument is the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter; we also operate the Mini-TES mineral scouting instruments on the Mars Exploration Rovers. But the Red Planet Report‘s coverage of Mars research will not be limited to the spacecraft and missions we are involved in — discoveries and findings in all areas of Mars science are relevant.
We have a short FAQ page that answers some of the most commonly asked questions about Mars. It’s pretty basic, so it also includes links to more detailed information elsewhere. If there’s something in particular you’re you’re puzzled about or are interested in seeing covered, please drop us a line using the contact form.