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Mars Exploration

A NASA spacecraft carrying a Mars rover was in "excellent health" Saturday more than two hours after it began its eight-and-a-half-month journey.

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2010: Mock mission to Mars launchedupdated: Fri Nov 04 2011 17:09:00

To simulate the experience of a manned mission to Mars, a team of six will spend 520 days in windowless capsule.

Simulated Mars mission 'returns' to Earth updated: Fri Nov 04 2011 17:09:00

Six volunteer astronauts emerged from a 'trip' to Mars on Friday, waving and grinning widely after spending 520 days in seclusion.

NASA announces next Mars rover's landing siteupdated: Fri Jul 22 2011 16:24:00

Could there have been life on Mars? That's the mission NASA is setting out to answer with Curiosity, the next-generation Mars rover whose landing site was announced Friday at the National Air and Space Museum's annual Mars Day.

NASA stops moon dust auctionupdated: Wed Jun 29 2011 08:55:00

NASA stops an auction of moon dust it says was stolen after the Apollo 11 mission. KSDK reports.

To replace the shuttle: A mission to Marsupdated: Wed Jun 29 2011 08:55:00

America's human spaceflight program is now adrift. On July 8, the space shuttle is scheduled to make its final flight, and the Obama administration has no coherent plan for what to do next.

Russian Mars mission lands on red planet -- virtuallyupdated: Mon Feb 14 2011 21:37:00

Cosmonauts walked on the surface of Mars on Monday, nearly a year into a mission to the red planet. Unfortunately, it's only a simulation, designed to test what would happen on a real flight to Mars.

Life on Mars simulated in Utah desertupdated: Wed Jan 19 2011 11:46:00

Mars enthusiasts simulate life on the Red Planet at a research station in the Utah desert. Go to VBS.TV for more.

Research station in Utah desert is glimpse of life on Marsupdated: Wed Jan 19 2011 11:46:00

Travel twenty minutes north of this tiny town, to the craggy red desert of the San Rafael Swell, and you may discover a spaceship.

Mars once covered in water, space agency saysupdated: Fri Jun 25 2010 10:42:00

Conditions favorable to life may once have existed all over Mars, the European Space Agency said Friday.

Russia to launch 520-day mock mission to Marsupdated: Thu Jun 03 2010 18:57:00

In an attempt to re-create the experience of a manned mission to Mars, an international team of researchers will lock themselves up in a windowless capsule for about a year and a half -- time required for a round trip to the Red Planet.

Russia sets sights on Marsupdated: Thu Jun 03 2010 18:57:00

CNN's Matthew Chance reports on an ambitious experiment in Russia to simulate a trip to Mars.

NASA moves forward with Mars exploration planupdated: Mon Jan 11 2010 15:56:00

NASA has big plans for its Mars Exploration Program.

'Airplane view' of Mars yields stunning imagesupdated: Thu Sep 03 2009 13:35:00

What would you see if you could fly over Mars in a plane and look out the window?

NASA honored for 'tweets' from Marsupdated: Thu Feb 12 2009 05:12:00

NASA was honored Wednesday for its efforts to inform the public through the popular social-networking Web site Twitter.

Having a ball with helper 'bots on Marsupdated: Fri Feb 06 2009 10:27:00

By next fall, NASA plans to launch its biggest Red Planet rover yet, the $1.8-billion, SUV-size Mars Research Laboratory. Even though the MRL will be able to haul five times as much equipment as the Spirit and Opportunity rovers that are already on Mars, a group of Swedish researchers say that they could accomplish far more if accompanied by a squad of helper 'bots.

Life on Mars?updated: Mon Jan 19 2009 09:40:00

NASA scientists say they've detected methane in the Martian atmosphere. ITN's Tim Ewart looks at what it means.

Methane discovery could mean life on Marsupdated: Mon Jan 19 2009 09:40:00

Scientists have discovered methane in Mars' atmosphere, raising the possibility that life might exist on the planet.

Mars on the brain? Red Planet pioneers to face cosmic mind tripupdated: Tue Jan 06 2009 14:26:00

If Dr. Robert Zubrin could take a trip to Mars, he would be sure to pack a bread maker in his suitcase. Not just because bread is a pretty reliable expeditionary food, but because the act of cooking, according to Zubrin, seems to help people get along with each other, especially when they are in slightly dire, less than luxurious and more than stressful circumstances.

NASA's rovers mark five years on Red Planetupdated: Sat Jan 03 2009 15:39:00

NASA's Mars rovers are celebrating their fifth birthday on the Red Planet, exceeding their original life span by four years and nine months, with no end in sight to their history-making work.

Mars Science Lab launch delayed two yearsupdated: Fri Dec 05 2008 10:34:00

NASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington.

Phoenix Lander silent; Mars mission over, NASA saysupdated: Tue Nov 11 2008 12:44:00

A dust storm and the onset of Martian winter have brought the Phoenix Mars Lander's mission to an end, NASA announced Monday.

Martian winter threatens to end Phoenix Lander's missionupdated: Thu Oct 30 2008 16:50:00

The Phoenix Mars Lander has entered a state of suspended operation called "safe mode" due to low power, mission managers said Thursday. And while they hope to recharge batteries and reactivate the spacecraft in the coming days, they say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means Phoenix's days are severely numbered.

Time.com: Future of Flagship Mars Mission Up in the Airupdated: Tue Oct 07 2008 18:40:00

Will NASA's flagship mission to Mars fly next year? The space agency could decide as early as Friday whether to cancel, delay or proceed with plans to launch a nuclear-powered, SUV-size rover to the red planet

Lander grabs Mars water, will see if it's life-supportingupdated: Thu Jul 31 2008 23:02:00

The Phoenix lander got its robotic arm onto a sample of water ice from Mars' surface and popped the ice into tiny, onboard "ovens" that will help determine if the water could support life, NASA researchers said Thursday.

Time.com: Phoenix Lander Confirms Ice on Marsupdated: Thu Jul 31 2008 17:00:00

The Phoenix spacecraft has tasted Martian water for the first time. The robot heated up ice in one of its instruments earlier this week. Scientists say the chemical test confirms the presence of ice near the Martian north pole

University of Arizona looks beyond Mars missionupdated: Wed Jul 02 2008 14:31:00

The fun won't be over for the University of Arizona when batteries for the school-led Phoenix Mars Lander fail and its computers freeze up in the Martian arctic after its three-month mission ends.

Show and Tell: Phoenix Mars Landerupdated: Wed Jun 04 2008 23:25:00

CNN's Miles O'Brien and our SciTech team give us a tour of the Phoenix Mars Lander!

Time.com: Phoenix Mars Lander has Short Circuitupdated: Fri May 30 2008 20:00:00

(TUCSON, Ariz.) -- Scientists for the Phoenix Mars Lander are wrestling with an intermittent short circuit on the spacecraft.

Mars lander prepares to digupdated: Tue May 27 2008 22:30:00

NASA's administrator discusses the preparations for the Mars Phoenix lander.

Phoenix lands on Marsupdated: Mon May 26 2008 18:26:00

The control room of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab reacts to the news that the Phoenix Lander has touched down on Mars.

Images from Marsupdated: Mon May 26 2008 18:26:00

The principal invesxtigator of the Mars Phoenix lander explains some of the images it sent back from Mars.

Mars lander sends photos from Red Planet's arcticupdated: Mon May 26 2008 18:26:00

NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander began sending photos of the planet's surface on the first day of its three-month mission "to taste and sniff the northern polar site's soil and ice," the space agency said.

Time.com: Mars Probe Is an Icebreakerupdated: Mon May 26 2008 05:00:00

NASA's latest mission will analyze the Red Planet's permafrost for signs of past and present life

Probe lands on Mars, NASA says updated: Mon May 26 2008 02:53:00

The first pictures from NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander, which successfully touched down near Mars' north pole Sunday, showed a pattern of brown polygons as far as the camera could see.

NASA preps for '7 minutes of terror' on Marsupdated: Fri May 23 2008 11:18:00

In the wake of the wildly successful Spirit and Opportunity rover missions, you would think NASA would approach the landing of the next Martian probe with high confidence.

Time.com: The Mars Lander's To-Do Listupdated: Thu May 22 2008 13:10:00

NASA's Phoenix lander is set to touch down in the Martian Arctic on Sunday, where it will start chewing through the permafrost in search of life

Time.com: Robot Digger to Land at Martian Poleupdated: Tue May 20 2008 15:00:00

Like a miner prospecting for gold, NASA hopes its latest robot to Mars hits pay dirt when it lands Sunday near the red planet's north pole to conduct a 90-day digging mission

Mixed signals from NASA about fate of Mars roverupdated: Mon Mar 24 2008 20:54:00

NASA sent conflicting signals Monday evening about what an official told CNN is a planned $4 million budget cut in NASA's Mars Exploration Rover program.

CNN Student News: Profiles in Women's Historyupdated: Wed Mar 05 2008 22:06:00

The following profiles feature prominent women in the fields of politics, law, sports, science and business.

Study: Martian soil may contain lifeupdated: Thu Aug 23 2007 00:42:00

The soil on Mars may contain microbial life, according to a new interpretation of data first collected more than 30 years ago.

Mars probe explainedupdated: Sat Aug 04 2007 05:35:00

Mars probe explained

Beating the curse of Marsupdated: Sat Dec 23 2006 09:59:00

When, after an eight-month voyage, NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft beamed back the first images of Mars in 1965 -- to score a victory over Russia's Mars 1 in the Cold War space-race -- it changed the way scientists thought about the Red Planet.

Life on Mars?updated: Thu Dec 07 2006 05:37:00

Long before David Bowie crooned, "Is there life on Mars?" scientists have wondered the same - are we alone in our solar system? Now striking pictures suggesting the presence of liquid water on the Martian surface have scientists believing we are getting closer to finding out.

Mars images show rover perched on crater updated: Fri Oct 06 2006 13:54:00

Spectacular new images of Mars could reveal clues about tens of millions of years of the red planet's history.

What an Opportunity! Mars rover reaches new milestoneupdated: Thu Sep 28 2006 09:23:00

Nearly three years after landing on Mars, the rover "Opportunity" has reached a region of the planet that may provide the best clues yet about the history of the red planet.

Space: The moon, Mars and beyondupdated: Mon Sep 25 2006 08:08:00

No space programs have captured the public imagination quite like NASA's exploration of the moon in the early 1970s. Now, earth's satellite is in national space agencies' sights again.

Mars rovers power on, continue explorationupdated: Tue Apr 25 2006 13:21:00

Those long-lived NASA Mars rovers -- Spirit and Opportunity -- remain in fairly good shape, with one robot in survival mode as Martian winter arrives while its twin snakes its way across a taxing terrain of sand dunes to reach a striking target.

Researchers rain on Mars' water gullies paradeupdated: Wed Mar 22 2006 14:57:00

Martian gullies that some scientists believe were recently carved by liquid water might instead be the result of landslides triggered by wind and meteor impacts, scientists say.

Mars orbiter clears hurdleupdated: Fri Mar 10 2006 09:13:00

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, on a two-year mission to study the Martian atmosphere and surface, and search for water, pulled off a dangerous and tricky maneuver known as "orbit insertion" and began circling the red planet Friday.

Business 2.0: Cashing in on Marsupdated: Thu Mar 09 2006 15:15:00

Attention, people of Earth: We are going to Mars. This is no sci-fi fantasy; for the past two years, NASA has been gearing up to meet the Bush administration's goal of landing humans on Mars by around 2030. The agency plans to set up a base on the Moon by 2020 to act as a staging area; that effort alone is projected to cost at least $104 billion. Throw in the round-trip voyage to Mars, and John Edwards, space systems analyst at Forecast International, estimates that the total cost of the program will top $400 billion--making it history's largest government-backed science project.

Payoff high in risky Mars missionupdated: Thu Mar 09 2006 10:39:00

NASA's latest mission to Mars could eclipse all previous ones if it can get into orbit on Friday.

Business 2.0: Cashing In on the Red Planetupdated: Wed Mar 01 2006 00:01:00

Attention, people of Earth: We are going to Mars. This is no sci-fi fantasy; for the past two years, NASA has been gearing up to meet the Bush administration's goal of landing humans on Mars by aro...

Profiles in Women's Historyupdated: Tue Feb 28 2006 14:59:00

The following profiles feature prominent women in the fields of politics, law, sports, science and business.

Big wheels on Red Planetupdated: Wed Jan 18 2006 12:28:00

Make way rovers Spirit and Opportunity -- the next wheels on Mars will belong to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) -- a huge step in how that planet is further poked, probed, and more fully plumbed for new information.

Studies throw cold water on Mars ocean theoryupdated: Wed Dec 21 2005 13:31:00

A pair of newly released studies have challenged the theory that a salty sea once lapped the shores of Mars' Meridiani Planum.

"Spirit" and "Opportunity"updated: Mon Oct 10 2005 11:00:00

By the time Spirit and Opportunity made Time's "What's Next" list in 2003, the pair were already millions of miles into their journey to Mars. Earth's grounded citizens already had been dazzled by the journey of Sojourner, a much smaller rover that ventured to Mars in 1997. But Sojourner was a test run for its larger siblings. Spirit and Opportunity were well equipped to bring back a plethora of scientific information about the planet that once inspired popular visions of little green people.

Spirit reaches Martian hilltopupdated: Fri Aug 26 2005 11:36:00

The Mars Spirit rover has reached a milestone moment in its exploration of the Red Planet.

Dust devils race across Marsupdated: Wed Aug 24 2005 12:22:00

NASA's Mars rover Spirit has caught a bevy of dust devils racing across the surface of Mars, which researchers compiled into a stunning new movie.

NASA urged to test for life on Marsupdated: Thu Jun 23 2005 12:04:00

More research is needed to determine whether potentially dangerous life forms exist on Mars before a manned mission to the Earth's nearest planetary neighbor can go ahead, a NASA advisory panel has warned.

Towards a manned mission to Marsupdated: Thu May 12 2005 09:58:00

At the beginning of 2001, with Mars Express (MEx) and Beagle 2 progressing well towards what everyone thought would be an epic journey to Mars, the European Space Agency (ESA) called together a group of 10 Experts in Space Exploration.

Images show strange steep slopes on Mars updated: Mon Apr 04 2005 13:10:00

New images of Mars show fresh detail of steep and inexplicable slopes.

Mars rover gets new lease on lifeupdated: Tue Mar 15 2005 12:15:00

Mars scientists and engineers are elated about a dust-busting blast that has struck the Spirit rover at its Gusev crater exploration site.

An Opportunity to celebrateupdated: Tue Jan 25 2005 09:24:00

When it comes to long life, NASA's Mars rover Opportunity takes after its robotic twin Spirit.

Rover hits one-year mark on Mars updated: Mon Jan 03 2005 10:56:00

Sitting on the hill of an alien world millions of miles from home, a hardy NASA robot celebrates an anniversary Monday -- one year on the planet Mars.

Mars rover approaches heat shield updated: Tue Dec 21 2004 12:26:00

The Opportunity Mars rover has turned into a junkyard dog, prowling ever closer to a hunk of space litter at Meridiani Planum -- a discarded heat shield.

Martian 'planetary parks' proposedupdated: Fri Dec 10 2004 11:41:00

Scientists have proposed a scheme to introduce a series of planetary parks on Mars that would see areas of the Red Planet transformed into conservation zones.

Water confirmed, Mars researchers look for lifeupdated: Fri Dec 03 2004 08:58:00

Researchers can now say definitively that Mars once supported a watery environment, but whether the Red Planet could have ever supported life is still far from certain.

The case for life on the Red Planetupdated: Tue Sep 21 2004 08:11:00

My life changed dramatically on August 6, 1996, when a group of NASA scientists claimed to have found a fossil in a meteorite from Mars.

Mars rovers to sit tight for 12 daysupdated: Wed Sep 08 2004 09:26:00

Starting Wednesday, the Mars rovers will go into an anticipated 12-day "loss of communication" period as the sun passes between the Earth and Mars, an alignment known as conjunction.

Mars rover to brave 'black diamond' slopeupdated: Fri Jun 25 2004 16:15:00

Most skiers are familiar with the slope of an expert, or black diamond, trail -- about 30 degrees, on average.

Risky descent planned for Mars craterupdated: Wed Jun 09 2004 12:33:00

NASA decided to roll the dice on Mars this Tuesday by dispatching its rover Opportunity into a crater from which it may never escape.

Remote medicine on frontier of spaceupdated: Fri May 07 2004 16:33:00

NASA's latest experiment with health care may benefit Earth-bound patients as much as astronauts -- and space researchers couldn't be happier.

Mars rover to explore crater secrets updated: Thu May 06 2004 17:20:00

The Mars rover Opportunity is perched above a crater that researchers said could open up a window into the mysterious -- and possibly wet -- history of the Red Planet.

Mars methane from biology or geology?updated: Tue Mar 30 2004 08:24:00

A trio of research teams independently probing the martian atmosphere for signs of methane have confirmed the presence of the gas and raised a host of explanations for how it got there.

Rover cracks mystery of Mars spheresupdated: Thu Mar 18 2004 16:21:00

Scientists have learned the composition of the mysterious sphere-shaped objects scattered across the crater floor at Meridiani Planum, the landing site of the Opportunity Mars rover.

Scientist attacks alien claims on Marsupdated: Wed Mar 17 2004 16:24:00

Astronomer Philip Plait is tired of radio personality Richard Hoagland's claims.

Fossil hunting on Marsupdated: Wed Mar 17 2004 09:40:00

Those on-the-prowl Mars robots -- Spirit and Opportunity -- are sending back extraordinary images and science data about the Red Planet and its history of climate and water.

NASA: Liquid water once on Marsupdated: Tue Mar 02 2004 13:02:00

Mission accomplished: NASA scientists say the Mars rovers have found what they were looking for -- hard evidence that the red planet was once "soaking wet."

Fortune: Mars Rover Driver Brian Cooper, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadenaupdated: Mon Feb 09 2004 00:01:00

People think that driving a rover is like driving a car, but it's not. Since Mars is more than 100 million miles away, even at the speed of light the radio signals coming from those football-field-...

Mars rover Opportunity rolls off its landerupdated: Sat Jan 31 2004 06:43:00

The Mars rover Opportunity rolled off its lander early Saturday, beginning the next phase of its mission to study the rocks and soil of the Martian surface for signs of water.

Opportunity made 'interplanetary hole-in-one'updated: Sun Jan 25 2004 00:02:00

The Mars rover Opportunity is sending fresh data, including new photographs taken on the vehicle's parachute trip to the planet's surface, to mission control.

NASA fights to revive Spirit on Marsupdated: Fri Jan 23 2004 09:53:00

Attempting to diagnose a nearly mute and temporarily delirious spacecraft more than 100 million miles away, NASA mission controllers said Friday that they suspect a hardware problem on the six-wheeled Mars rover may have caused a severe malfunction.

Europe probe detects Mars water iceupdated: Fri Jan 23 2004 07:02:00

The European orbiter Mars Express detected ice at the Red Planet's south pole, mission officials at Darmstadt, Germany, said Friday.

NASA unable to communicate with Mars roverupdated: Thu Jan 22 2004 12:48:00

The Spirit rover has stopped transmitting data from Mars, NASA mission controllers said Thursday, but there were signs it is still operating at a basic level.

Mars rover stretches arm, snaps micro-picturesupdated: Fri Jan 16 2004 17:15:00

The Mars rover Spirit stretched its robotic arm over Martian soil Friday, and its microscopic imager is capturing even-higher-resolution images than the ones sent back after landing.

Mars rover ready to rollupdated: Wed Jan 14 2004 16:57:00

Mission managers are preparing to roll the Mars rover Spirit off its lander early Thursday, positioning it for departure down a rear ramp.

Bush unveils vision for moon and beyondupdated: Wed Jan 14 2004 02:55:00

Saying "the desire to explore and understand is part of our character," President Bush Wednesday unveiled an ambitious plan to return Americans to the moon by 2020 and use the mission as a steppingstone for future manned trips to Mars and beyond.

Mars rover prepares to roll off landerupdated: Tue Jan 13 2004 16:07:00

Mission managers are making final preparations to roll the Mars rover Spirit off its lander later this week, among them cutting the last cable tying it down.

New bid to find lost Mars probeupdated: Sat Jan 10 2004 06:25:00

Further attempts are being made to contact the Beagle 2 Mars probe, which has been missing since Christmas Day.

NASA debuts first color picture from Mars roverupdated: Tue Jan 06 2004 14:48:00

NASA debuted a color picture from the Spirit rover on Tuesday showing gray rocks peppering a Martian lake bed awash in its natural hues of red, pink and orange.

New rover sees red planet with 3-D eyesupdated: Mon Jan 05 2004 00:41:00

On its first full day on Mars, a NASA craft beamed back a three-dimensional panorama of its new home, a tantalizing hint of the capacity of the most sophisticated eyes ever to scan the red planet surface.

Rover touches down on Marsupdated: Sat Jan 03 2004 12:40:00

A NASA robotic explorer touched down on the red planet Saturday night, sending a signal home that it survived the risky descent through the Martian atmosphere and bouncing landing.

Fortune: TECHNOLOGY TO WATCH A CHEAPER WAY TO EXPLORE MARSupdated: Mon Oct 19 1992 00:01:00

On the 20th anniversary of the first landing of men on the moon, President Bush ordered NASA to take the next logical steps in space exploration: establishing bases on the moon and sending a manned...

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