New Scientist - Exploring Mars

It's time to decide when to declare a planet lifeless

Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:00:00 GMT

Spacecraft are sterilised before they visit Mars to protect any life there – but it is expensive and no life has yet been found. When do we stop?

Humans can bug-out to Mars without ruining search for life

Thu, 18 Jun 2015 15:13:00 GMT

We sterilise spacecraft bound for Mars, but we can't sterilise humans. A mock Martian trek in the Arctic shows we won't need to, our microbes don't spread as we feared

Listening to meteorites hitting Mars will tell us what's inside

Thu, 04 Jun 2015 21:00:00 GMT

NASA's InSight mission may be able to use seismic waves from meteorite strikes to probe the Red Planet's interior

What a Red Planet aurora might look like

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 18:00:00 GMT

Fancy seeing a blue light show? A simulation of the Martian atmosphere reveals what an aurora might look like to the naked eye

Help me 3D print homes for a NASA mission to Mars

Fri, 29 May 2015 08:00:00 GMT

How might future visitors to Mars build shelter? NASA's 3D Printed Habitat Challenge aims to foster an innovative, sustainable solution, says Sam Ortega

Mars lander gets set for mission to probe planet's depths

Thu, 28 May 2015 16:45:00 GMT

NASA's InSight rover is being put through its paces in preparation for its trip to Mars next year

Martian Magna Carta: Justice and freedom on the final frontier

Sun, 17 May 2015 19:00:00 GMT

The demands of living in space mean that extraterrestrial colonists won't enjoy the same liberties as us. It's time to draw up a new bill of rights for them

Mars volcanoes launch dust storms like a skate ramp

Tue, 12 May 2015 14:18:00 GMT

Weird dust storms on Mars suggest that massive volcano Olympus Mons is the solar system's sickest half-pipe

Curiosity Mars rover takes a rock along for the ride

Fri, 01 May 2015 18:52:00 GMT

The rover snapped a picture of something stuck on its wheel, but NASA says it's no cause for alarm

ExoMars rover's Martian-hunting camera takes test run in Iceland

Thu, 30 Apr 2015 13:00:00 GMT

A prototype PanCam for the European Space Agency's ExoMars rover has been scanning volcanic north-east Iceland for minerals that might hold clues to life

NASA's Curiosity rover finds astronauts could farm water on Mars

Mon, 13 Apr 2015 15:19:00 GMT

NASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence of a liquid water cycle on Mars, and harnessing this could one day make drinking water for astronauts

Scorch marks left by spacecraft on Mars soon fade

Fri, 27 Mar 2015 15:54:00 GMT

The Red Planet cleans up our mess for us within a few years, a new study shows – which could be important for NASA's next lander

Rock grab from asteroid will aid human mission to Mars

Thu, 26 Mar 2015 11:20:00 GMT

NASA plans to grab a boulder off a nearby asteroid, throw it into orbit around the moon, and then send humans out for a visit, testing some tech on the way

NASA's Curiosity rover finds fatty acids on Mars

Wed, 25 Mar 2015 16:00:00 GMT

The lard-like molecules that showed up in Mars's Gale Crater are important for life, but could still be non-biological in origin

Swiss cheese is not a sign of Martian climate change

Tue, 24 Mar 2015 18:00:00 GMT

Growing circular pits in Mars's south polar ice cap were thought to be a sign that the planet is warming – but a new model shows it is a natural cycle

New Urbanist: Off-world colonies of the Canadian Arctic

Wed, 18 Mar 2015 13:00:00 GMT

The pop-up mining towns of the remote and hostile Canadian north are, in a sense, prototypes for cities we might one day build on Mars and other planets

Curiosity's arm short circuit leaves Mars rover stranded

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 17:06:00 GMT

NASA's Curiosity rover has been stuck in place on Mars since February 27 after a short circuit triggered on-board safety alerts

Drill into Mars for clues to Earth's climate

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 18:00:00 GMT

Earth's Little Ice Age may have been caused by a dip in solar activity – to find out for sure, dig holes on Mars

Drill into Mars for clues to Earth's climate

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 16:00:00 GMT

Earth's Little Ice Age may have been caused by a fall in solar activity – digging holes on Mars could help us find out

Searching for signs of Mars life could destroy them

Fri, 20 Feb 2015 00:01:00 GMT

A common sulphate mineral on Mars may be a signpost for habitability, but just looking for organic compounds might obliterate them