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...

The rock that rocked the world is the subject of many new sites this week. Follow the debate about life on Mars by visiting the CNN special site devoted to the discovery. In addition to articles, audio, and video, this page provides links to many official and non-official sites about this discovery, Mars, and even meteorites in general (including Meteorite Central, which accepts advertisements for...

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...

This 53-minute episode of NOVA can be a useful supplement to educators' lesson plans about Mars - or a fascinating introduction for anyone interested by the Red Planet. First aired on August 1, 2012, the beautifully produced episode explores whether it is possible for humans to survive a trip to Mars and back - a destination that could take up to three years to reach. Along the way, astronauts...

As part of a series of design and performance summaries of several different NASA spacecraft, this 78-page report addresses the communications systems of the Mars Odyssey, which is orbiting the red planet. Beginning with an overview of Odyssey's mission objectives and phases, the report then delves into specifics of X-Band and UHF telecommunication. Odyssey is equipped with technology that allows...

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,...

The Exploratorium always has wonderful interactive features, and this collection is no exception to that trend. This particular offering includes updates from Will Curiosity, NASA's newest rover, which is currently exploring the surface of Mars. Meanwhile, many on Earth wonder whether or not the craft will find evidence that conditions on Mars have ever been favorable for microbial life. The...

This five-minute video produced by NASA dramatizes the landing of the Curiosity Rover on August 6, 2012. The "seven minutes of terror" to which the title refers is the time between the moment the Rover entered the atmosphere of Mars and the moment it touched down on the surface. The video chronicles one of the most complex engineering victories in history, in which a multimillion dollar explorer...