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Mars

Mars, the Red Planet, is the fourth planet from the sun.

Related Topics: Curiosity Mars Rover Mission, ExoMars, India Mars Orbiter Mission, Mars Rover Opportunity, Maven Mars Mission 

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NASA's Perseverance rover captured this shot of its surroundings on the floor of Jezero Crater on Oct. 22, 2021, using one of its navigation cameras. Mission team members posted the image on Twitter three days later.

Perseverance rover snaps first Mars photos after communications blackout. They're stunning.

By Mike Wall

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has emerged from its first "solar conjunction" blackout and gotten back to work on the Red Planet.

An artist's illustration of astronauts mining water on Mars.

Microbes could help future Mars explorers make rocket fuel and oxygen on the Red Planet

By Charles Q. Choi

Future Mars astronauts could make rocket fuel on the Red Planet using air, water and sunlight, a new study finds. The technology could fuel the astronauts' flights back to Earth.

This photo from NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity shows the drone's shadow on the Martian surface during its 14th flight, which occurred Oct. 24, 2021.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity soars through Red Planet's summer air after radio blackout (video)

By Samantha Mathewson

NASA's helicopter Ingenuity has successfully completed its 14th test flight on the Red Planet, demonstrating its ability to fly in summer weather conditions on Mars.

Experts recently shared that they think the U.S. needs to seriously invest in nuclear technology to stay ahead of CHina in space.

NASA thinks US needs nuclear-powered spacecraft to stay ahead of China

By Chelsea Gohd

The U.S. needs to invest more in nuclear-powered spacecraft to be competitive with nations like China, experts say.

Part of a panorama taken by Zhurong released on announcement of the end of the solar conjunction period.

At Mars, China's Tianwen 1 orbiter and Zhurong rover are back in action after a radio blackout

By Andrew Jones

China's Tianwen 1 orbiter and Zhurong rover are once again active at Mars following a communications blackout caused by the sun interfering with radio signals sent from Earth.

A "selfie" of the Perseverance rover, which landed Feb. 18, 2021.

Hear sounds from Mars captured by NASA's Perseverance rover

By Elizabeth Howell

NASA's Perseverance rover has recorded up to five hours of sounds on the Mars, giving engineers a sense of how the Red Planet sounds different from Earth.

Space Books Recommended Reading

Best space and sci-fi books for 2021

By Space.com Staff

Space.com's editors present a reading list for space and sci-fi lovers, as well as children who are interested in astronomy and spaceflight.

A photograph taken by the Perseverance rover of the Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of Mars in April, just after the rover deployed the chopper.

The Mars helicopter Ingenuity is ready to fly again after interplanetary radio blackout

By Meghan Bartels

NASA's Mars helicopter is ready to make its first flight attempt after a two-week communications blackout caused by the sun's being directly between Earth and the Red Planet.

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have teamed up for the Deep Space Food Challenge, which aims to spur new ideas about how to feed astronauts on long voyages.

NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge awards $450,000 to first-round winners

By Elizabeth Howell

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency just announced 18 winners in Phase 1 of the Deep Space Food Challenge, which aims to spur the development of potentially game-changing food tech.

Mars as seen by India's Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014.

Live this week: Watch the 2021 International Mars Society Convention online

By Elizabeth Howell

The 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention begins Thursday (Oct. 17), and you can watch the whole thing online for free.

Star Trek actor William Shatner (second from right) and his NS-18 crew pose for a photo on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket during their launch on Oct. 13, 2021.

The top space stories of the week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.

Perseverance took a selfie next to its biggest accomplishment yet – the two small drill holes where the rover took samples of Martian rocks.

Perseverance's first major successes on Mars — an update from mission scientists

By Melissa Rice, Briony Horgan

In the short time since NASA's Perseverance rover landed in Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, it's already made history.

Inferred paleolake level inside Mars’ Jezero Crater at the time of Kodiak sediment deposition. The red star indicates theOctavia E. Butler (OEB) landing site of NASA’s Perseverance rover. Background from the Context Camera (CTX) mosaic.

Perseverance rover confirms existence of ancient Mars lake and river delta

By Mike Wall

Photos snapped by Perseverance show that Jezero Crater did indeed host a large river-fed lake in the ancient past.

Engineers decked out in protective "bunny suits" inspect the Perseverance rover in a clean room in 2019, before the spacecraft launched to Mars.

Not all Mars spacecraft might need such deep cleaning, scientists find

By Meghan Bartels

Mars-bound landers and rovers may not need to undergo quite such stringent cleaning procedures as they previously have before leaving Earth.

The Mars perseverance rover looks as wee and lonely as ever in this satellite image from above the Red Planet.

Perseverance rover on Mars spotted from space in striking new satellite image

By Brandon Specktor

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spied the little Perseverance Rover chugging around Jezero Crater in a striking new image.

Mars as seen from orbit by NASA’s Viking mission.

Mars: What we know about the Red Planet

By Charles Q. Choi

Learn about planet Mars’ atmosphere, water supply and the possibility to support life, plus findings from the various Mars rover missions.

October 2021 Night Sky Venus at greatest eastern elongation

The brightest planets in October's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in October's night sky.

An image colored based on elevation shows Parana Basin, which scientists believe was once a lake. The white valley is one researchers believe formed from a catastrophic breach; the black valleys are ones scientists believe formed by other mechanisms.

Catastrophic floods shaped Mars more than previously thought, scientists suggest

By Charles Q. Choi

Catastrophic floods from overflowing lakes on early Mars may have carved out many of the Red Planet's valleys, a new study finds.

NASA's Perseverance rover acquired this image of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter on the floor of Jezero Crater.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity aborted latest flight attempt because of anomaly

By Mike Wall

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity didn't get off the ground as planned earlier this month.

NASA's Mars missions will go offline during a temporary communications blackout in October 2021. (Clockwise, from top left: Perseverance rover, Ingenuity helicopter, InSight lander, Odyssey orbiter, MAVEN orbiter, Curiosity rover and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter)

NASA Mars missions facing 2-week communications blackout as sun blocks Red Planet

By Elizabeth Howell

NASA plans to pause most of its Martian work in October for safety reasons associated with the Red Planet's position in space.