NASA has picked a landing site for its upcoming Mars 2020 rover. The space agency will try to land its nuclear-powered robot in Jezero Crater, a giant impact near the Martian equator. Jezero Crater was a water-rich area billions of years ago on Mars, and it might still hide signs of alien life such as microbes. NASA hopes to dig up and store Martian soil samples – for the first time in human history – for a future launch back to Earth. NASA has announced where it plans to land the Mars 2020 rover and dig for signs of alien life in the red planet’s soil. The car-size robot is expected to land inside the 28-mile-diameter Jezero Crater, an ancient impact site located just north of the Martian equator. It was one of more than 60 sites that NASA eyed during years of consideration. NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is made from a backup of the Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in August 2012 and has roamed the red planet on nuclear power ever since. But the new … [Read more...] about NASA will dig for signs of alien life in Mars’ Jezero Crater — the landing site for its 2020 rover
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NASA video teases return to Moon and flight to Mars
A new video released by NASA has teased the space agency's return to the Moon and plans to fly beyond it with missions to Mars. The project aims to answer the Space Policy Directive-1, signed by Donald Trump last year, which directed the agency to renew its physical space exploration efforts.In a speech read by voiceover actor Mike Rowe during the new video, the agency added: "We've taken giant leaps and left our mark in the heavens."Now we're building the next chapter, returning to the Moon to stay, and preparing to go beyond. We are NASA - and after 60 years, we're just getting started." In order to meet president Trump's call for a sustainable program of space exploration, NASA submitted a plan to US Congress a few weeks ago to set out its National Space Exploration Campaign.The campaign "calls for human and robotic exploration missions to expand the frontiers of human experience and scientific discovery of the natural phenomena of Earth, other worlds and the cosmos". It has five … [Read more...] about NASA video teases return to Moon and flight to Mars
NASA will retire its new mega-rocket if SpaceX or Blue Origin can safely launch its own powerful rockets
NASA is building a super-heavy-lift rocket called the Space Launch System to send astronauts back to the moon. The SLS program has seen multiple delays and cost overruns, and the rocket is not reusable. Elon Musk’s and Jeff Bezos’ aerospace companies SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively, are developing comparable yet reusable (and presumably more affordable) giant rocket ships. If SpaceX’s Big Falcon Rocket or Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets come online, one NASA executive said the agency would “eventually retire” SLS. For now, though, NASA says it’s focused on completing its Commercial Crew Program to test-launch American spaceships. NASA is building a giant rocket ship to return astronauts to the moon and, eventually, ferry the first crews to and from Mars. But agency leaders are already contemplating the retirement of the Space Launch System (SLS), as the towering and yet-to-fly government rocket is called, and the Orion space … [Read more...] about NASA will retire its new mega-rocket if SpaceX or Blue Origin can safely launch its own powerful rockets
NASA rocket launch will be visible over Philly before dawn Saturday
NASA's delayed launch of Northrop Grumman's Anteres rocket will officially take place early Saturday morning from Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Flight Facility. If you're willing to set an alarm or still haven't ended your Friday night by 4:01 a.m., you'll be able to see the rocket from Philadelphia as long as skies remain clear, as expected. The Wallops mission aims to bring Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. The supply ship, set to arrive Monday, will be carrying about 7,400 pounds of crew supplies and hardware. The map below indicates how long after launch the Anteres rocket will be visible to those watching from the ground. Philadelphia falls within the 120-second ring, meaning the rocket should be visible in the sky shortly after 4:02 a.m. Source/NASAVisibility prediction map for NASA's Antares NG CRS-10 launch on Sat., Nov. 17, 2018. Those interested can also watch the launch on NASA's livestream … [Read more...] about NASA rocket launch will be visible over Philly before dawn Saturday
NASA accepts delivery of European powerhouse for moonship
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has accepted delivery of a key European part needed to power the world's next-generation moonship. U.S. and European leaders gathered at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Friday to mark the occasion. The newly arrived powerhouse, or service module, will propel NASA's Orion capsule to the moon during a test flight without passengers planned for 2020. A mega rocket under development by NASA will launch everything. Orion and the attached service module are meant to fly near the moon, but not land. Future missions will carry astronauts, with the goal of building an outpost just beyond the moon that could enable lunar landings and Mars expeditions. European Space Agency chief Jan Worner says we're not going back, we're going forward to the moon since it's a brand new way. … [Read more...] about NASA accepts delivery of European powerhouse for moonship