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Tag Archives: habitability
Aerogel greenhouses for Mars habitats?
Raising crops on Mars is far easier in science fiction than it will be in real life: The Red Planet is an inhospitable world. Among other challenges, subzero temperatures mean water can persist on the surface only as ice, and … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged aerogel, habitability, habitat construction, human exploration
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MAVEN sheds light on habitability of distant planets
How long might a rocky, Mars-like planet be habitable if it were orbiting a red dwarf star? It’s a complex question but one that NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission can help answer. “The MAVEN mission tells us that … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged atmosphere, exoplanets, habitability, Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, MAVEN, NASA, red dwarf stars, University of Colorado
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Zinc and germanium levels at Gale Crater boost evidence for habitable environment
New data gathered by the Mars Curiosity rover indicates a potential history of hydrothermal activity at Gale Crater on the red planet, broadening the variety of habitable conditions once present there, scientists report in a new study. Researchers found concentrations … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Curiosity, Gale Crater, germanium, habitability, hot springs, hydrothermal systems, life, Mars Science Laboratory, MSL, NASA, zinc
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Payload chosen for ExoMars 2018 lander & rover
Two European instruments and four European contributions on two Russian instruments have been selected for the Russian-led science platform that will land on Mars as part of the ESA–Roscosmos ExoMars 2018 mission. The first of the two ExoMars mission is … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Brine Irradiation and Temperature instrument, ESA, European Space Agency, ExoMars, ExoMars 2016, ExoMars 2018, ExoMars 2018 rover, HABIT, habitability, Lander Radioscience experiment, LaRa, Roscosmos, Schiaparelli lander, TGO, Trace Gas Orbiter
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Hematite ridge: site for Curiosity rover to explore ancient habitability?
A low ridge running along the foot of Mt. Sharp will likely become a prime target for Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory rover as it approaches the mound. The reason, outlined in a recent paper in Geology by Abigail Fraeman … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged CRISM, Curiosity, Gale Crater, habitability, hematite, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Science Laboratory, water
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Was nitrogen in the early Mars atmosphere a key to ancient habitability?
Scientists have long suspected that ancient Mars had a thicker atmosphere and temperatures warmer and far more habitable than at present. But modelers have difficulties making the numbers come out right,
Posted in Reports
Tagged atmosphere, carbon dioxide, climate, climate change, CO2, early Mars, habitability, N2, nitrogen, water, water vapor
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