Martian Soil

A Martian dust devil can be seen consuming a smaller one in a series of images taken by a navigation camera aboard NASA's Perseverance rover.

A new study warns that toxic Martian dust contains fine particles and harmful substances like silica and metals that pose serious health risks to astronauts, making missions to Mars more dangerous than previously thought. The Guardian reports: During Apollo missions to the moon, astronauts suffered...

Are we wrong about why Mars is red? An iron oxide called ferrihydrite might be responsible. If so, this also further supports ancient Mars being habitable. The post Why Mars is red … and the exciting possibilities for life first appeared on EarthSky.

As NASA astronauts aim for landings in 2027, geologists find surprises in recently retrieved samples from the far side…

NASA Space Technology has big travel plans for 2025, starting with a trip to the near side of the Moon!

Understanding why storms sometimes engulf the entire planet within a layer of grit could prove crucial to future missions.

From arachnid-like formations and mysterious blobs to an underground ocean and a giant volcano, here are our 10 favorite things scientists discovered on Mars this year.

A new paper suggests that adding water to Mars to see if it would attract organisms might have been the wrong idea

"Excellent places to search for life."

Impacts that vaporize bits of the lunar surface maintain the Moon's thin atmosphere.

Did meteorites create the moon's atmosphere? A new study of soil samples - collected by Apollo astronauts in the 1970s - says yes. The post Did meteorites create the moon's atmosphere? first appeared on EarthSky.

Studying rocks collected by the Apollo missions allowed scientists to break down the processes that formed the moon's atmosphere.

A peculiar leopard-spotted rock, found beside an ancient, dried-out river in Mars' Jezero crater, contains some tantalizing clues of ancient life, NASA said.

Last month's return to Earth of China's lunar lander Chang'e-6 with samples from the far side of the Moon is a reminder that there are "firsts" in robotic space exploration still to be achieved. Unfortunately, this year has seen a major setback for the ...

Scientists in China say a desert moss commonly found on Earth can survive the harsh conditions of Mars. Future astronauts could use it to grow other plants. The post This desert moss could grow on Mars, no greenhouse needed first appeared on EarthSky.

A new theory suggests that NASA's Curiosity rover could be "burping" the surface of the Red Planet, releasing methane trapped beneath a salty crust.

New evidence that Mars was volcanically active around 4 billion years ago could provide researchers with more places to hunt for signs of ancient life on the...

Planetary scientists knew there were massive buried deposits near Mars' equator, but not what they consisted of. New research found that it's buried water ice. The post Miles-thick buried water ice at Mars' equator? first appeared on EarthSky.

The Mars Express orbiter has detected enough water ice buried beneath the Red Planet's equator to cover the entire planet in a shallow ocean if melted.

A Texas undergrad is investigating sustainable agriculture systems for growing vegetables on Mars - and grew test samples of English peas in simulated Martian soil, with fertilizer from maggots.