Sample Analysis at Mars

Explore the latest find from NASA's Curiosity rover and what it reveals about organic matter beyond our planet.

Earth planning date: Tuesday, June 25, 2024 As documented in a previous blog last week, we continue to juggle power constraints as we focus on analyzing our newest drilled sample on Mars: "Mammoth Lakes 2." Today, the star of the show is a planned dropoff to SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite) and evolved […]

New experiments show that methane on Mars, in Gale crater, may seep out of the ground when hard crusts of perchlorate salt temporarily warm up and weaken. The post The strange case of methane on Mars: Possible new answers first appeared on EarthSky.

This AI-driven method presents a significant advantage in deciphering the origins of ancient carbon-rich samples.

The type of carbon detected is associated with biological processes on Earth. Curiosity scientists offer several explanations for the unusual carbon signals. After analyzing powdered rock samples collected from the surface of Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover, scientists have announced that several

Organic molecules found in a meteorite that hurtled to Earth from Mars were synthesized during interactions between water and rocks that occurred on the Red Planet about 4 billion years ago, according to new analysis.

Organic molecules found in a meteorite that hurtled to Earth from Mars were synthesized during interactions between water and rocks that occurred on the Red Planet about 4 billion years ago, according to new analysis led by Carnegie's Andrew Steele and published by Science.

The Sample Analysis at Mars instrument onboard NASA's Curiosity rover has detected decane, undecane, and dodecane molecules in a sample from Gale crater.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Donald Blake, University of California, Irvine

New satellite images reveal spider-like formations on the dusty soil of Mars. What are these?

Astrobiology professor suggests 1970's NASA mission might have detected and unintentionally extinguished life on Mars.

The hunt for Martian life focuses on detecting organic molecules that could indicate its past existence. Are our instruments up to the task?

After years of climbing, the Mars rover has arrived at a special region believed to have formed as Mars' climate was drying.

Scientists aren't ruling out ancient biological life, but there are other possibilities, too.

NASA's Curiosity Rover has discovered long carbon chains on Mars. On Earth, molecules like these are overwhelmingly produced by biological processes.

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered the most complex organic molecules ever seen on Mars, the remains of fatty acids up to an incredible 12 carbon atoms long. The post Surprisingly big organic molecules on Mars: A hint of life? first appeared on EarthSky.

At the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, interns from Cal State LA are learning key skills studying the origins of life.

A new NASA mission to Saturn's giant moon, Titan, is due to launch in 2027. When it arrives in the mid-2030s, it will begin a journey of discovery that could bring about a new understanding of the development of life in the universe. This mission, called Dragonfly, will carry an instrument called the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS), designed to help scientists hone in on the chemistry at work on Titan. It may…

NASA's Curiosity Rover has acquired new evidence of life on Mars.

It's a significant finding in the search for alien life.