This website was created by Arizona State University to provide current information about Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) and details about infrared spectroscopy. Students and educators can learn about the instrument's capabilities to collect mineralogy and thermophysical data on the terrain of Mars. Scientists can view the first mineral map gathered from the Mini-TES aboard the Mars...

Scientist K.R. Sridhar and a twenty-member research team at the University of Arizona Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) Department are building an Oxygen Generating Subsystem (OGS). This unit is set to be launched into Martian atmosphere in January 2002. When the system is on Mars, it will "suck in Martian atmospheric gases--predominantly carbon dioxide--and process them to produce pure...

The National Imagery and Mapping Agency, a US Military organization that scrutinizes surveillance imagery, has discovered what might be the Mars Polar Lander (MPL) in an image of the Martian south pole from the NASA Mars Global Surveyor. NASA's MPL was due to land near the Martian south pole in December 1999,, but mission controllers lost contact with it during its descent. This news story from...

With so many exciting discoveries taking place on Mars, it may be hard to know about all the latest developments. In an attempt to deal with this quandary, NASA has developed this web site to provide real-time coverage of the Agency's endeavors. Through the use of RealOne Player or Windows Media Player, visitors can view an assortment of educational programs on live NASA TV. The website supplies...

Scheduled for launch in 2003, two NASA rovers will set out to explore Mars and determine whether water ever existed on the planet. This is the home page of the Mars rovers, and it has a great deal of information about the specifications and technology of the missions. Detailed descriptions of the scientific instruments equipped on each rover are provided. Color diagrams show the main components of...

In an embarrassing setback to NASA, the Mars Climate Orbiter is believed lost. In the early hours of September 23, the orbiter fired its main engine to go in orbit around Mars and passed behind the planet, losing radio contact as planned. However, due to what was most likely a navigation error, the spacecraft did not resume contact and may have flown too close to the atmosphere and broken apart or...

Following the hugely successful Mars Pathfinder mission (described in the July 4, 1997 Scout Report), this latest journey to Mars is actually two separate missions, each focusing on the climate of the Red Planet. The first mission, the Mars Climate Orbiter, was launched on December 11. The second, launched on January 3, represents the first landing on the polar regions of Mars. The Mars Polar...

This online article, produced by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research, discusses the research initiative to develop membranes that could solve some of the problems associated with traveling to and from Mars. With the help of a comprehensible explanation and a diagram, visitors can learn how NASA is planning to extract CO2 from the Martian atmosphere to propel rockets and rovers. The...

Phoenix Mars Mission http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/ Phoenix Mars Lander Spotted from Space http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080527-phoenix-mars-update.html NASA: 'Extreme programming' controls Mars Lander robot http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9094138&intsrc=hm_list iTunesU adds Phoenix Mars Mission...

On March 28, NASA released the final report of the Mars Program Independent Assessment Team (MPIAT), formed to investigate the recent failure of the Mars Polar Lander. Headed by Thomas Young, the team concluded that they were "almost certain" that the accident was the result of a premature engine shutdown, probably caused by a spurious signal from one of the spacecraft's three landing legs,...