Swiss Mars

Mars found in the Swiss Alps? Well, perhaps an analog for Mars.

Making Soil

Folks, we've been contacted by a science teacher who is having his students do a number of Mars-related projects. Some are trying to grow things, some are trying to do rover wheel designs. He would like to get a source for palagonite, which he says is close in composition to what is found in (ahem) martian soil, so it would work as a "Mars on Earth" analog.

Anybody able to help with a source?

Mars on Earth

Keith Cowing (of NASA Watch) reviews two books by William Fox. I just picked up one of them, Driving to Mars, Sunday. (If I ever get through the biography of a science fiction author that I'm hacking my way through, I'll post a review of that.)

Four Months on "Mars"

The Mars Society is hoping to have a four-month test expedition to "Mars" during the next Artic summer. Volunteers sought...

Ground Test

A prototype environmental suit for use in Mars exploration is getting a workout in North Dakota.

Europe on Mars

Everybody seems to be running a Mars simulation station these days!

Mars and Earth

Do features found on Mars that are similar to those found on Earth mean that water could be found near the surface of Mars? NASA is testing prototypes of equipment that might be used in a human expedition to Mars at its Mars Desert Research Station.

A Year on "Mars"

A mixed crew of Italian and French researchers will be spending a year in the ESA's Concordia Station, located in Antarctica.

Trapped in the Ice

Microbes have been found in the ice sheets of Greenland, 90 meters deep. This paper suggests some implications for life on Mars.

Looking at the Signs

Scientists involved with the two rovers operating on Mars have produced a detailed analysis of the environment of Mars eons ago.

Scientists analyzed data about stacked sedimentary rock layers 23 feet thick, exposed inside "Endurance Crater." They identified three divisions within the stack. The lowest, oldest portion had the signature of dry sand dunes; the middle portion, windblown sheets of sand with all the particles produced in part by previous evaporation of liquid water. The upper portion corresponded to layers Opportunity found earlier inside a smaller crater near its landing site.

Continue reading "Looking at the Signs"

Public Viewing at Lowell Observatory (Nov 16, 2005)
Liquid Water on Mars? (Nov 9, 2005)
Mars in Utah (Nov 2, 2005)
Advanced Concepts (Oct 14, 2005)
Microbes (Oct 6, 2005)
Cold Hands, Warm Heart (Oct 4, 2005)
Ashes to Ashes (Sep 19, 2005)
A Martian Stroll (Aug 16, 2005)
Sleeping Microbes (Aug 15, 2005)
Final Mission (Aug 14, 2005)
Arctic Mars (II) (Aug 2, 2005)
Arctic Mars (I) (Jul 31, 2005)
Field Update (Jul 29, 2005)
"Mars" Down Under (Jul 27, 2005)
Drilling on "Mars" (Jul 27, 2005)
Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse (Jul 24, 2005)
New Field Season (Jul 21, 2005)
Walking with Martians (May 31, 2005)
South Utah, Mars (Apr 16, 2005)
Zoe (Apr 10, 2005)
Fire and Ice and More on Mars (Mar 19, 2005)
To Mars, Via Utah (Feb 2, 2005)
Life on Earth (Dec 19, 2004)
Subsurface Slime (Nov 1, 2004)
Life! (Sep 29, 2004)
Drilling for Life (Sep 24, 2004)
Life is Persistent (Sep 22, 2004)
Arizona Testbed (Sep 13, 2004)
Mars on Earth (Aug 18, 2004)
Deep Core (Aug 11, 2004)
Short Season (Aug 7, 2004)
Atacama (Aug 5, 2004)
The Designer Suit for Mars (Aug 4, 2004)
Devon Island (Jul 29, 2004)
Hitting Its Stride (Jul 24, 2004)
MIL 03346 (Jul 20, 2004)
Arctic Mars (Jul 15, 2004)
Blueberries on Earth (Jun 16, 2004)
Hanford Reach National Monument (Jun 16, 2004)
Salty Life (Jun 1, 2004)
Crew 28 (May 30, 2004)
Field Season 2004 (May 28, 2004)
"Technically, We Were Dead." (May 27, 2004)
Desert Update (May 8, 2004)
Martian Landscape in Antarctica (Apr 28, 2004)
Mars in New Mexico (Apr 26, 2004)
Blueberries and Cross-Bedding (Apr 24, 2004)
Scientists, Enthusiasts Labor to Simulate Life On Mars (Mar 29, 2004)
The Army Goes to Mars (Feb 29, 2004)
From a River in Spain to a Crater on Mars (Feb 2, 2004)
Summary Report MDRS Crew 21 (Jan 20, 2004)
Daily Live Webcasts from the Mars Desert Research Station (Jan 12, 2004)
Interview with Nathalie Cabrol (Jan 8, 2004)
Red Rovers: From Dry Lakes on Earth to Dry Lakes on Mars (Jan 2, 2004)
Bacteria Discovered in 4,000 Feet of Rock Fuels Mars Comparison (Jan 1, 2004)
Robert Zubrin Calls for Exploring Mars on Earth (Dec 30, 2003)
Life on Mars is 'similar to Chilean desert' (Nov 6, 2003)
Mars Group Gives Hands-on Experience at Brigham Young University (Oct 26, 2003)
Fake Mars First Step to Blast-off (Oct 23, 2003)
NASA Scientists to Study Lake's Primitive Life to Learn About Mars (Oct 22, 2003)
Keith Cowing's Devon Island Journal: Summer 2003 (Oct 19, 2003)
Mini-Mars in the Outback (Oct 11, 2003)
Volunteers Needed for Mars Desert and Flashline Station Mars Society Crews (Oct 6, 2003)
'Mars on Earth' Goes on Sale (Oct 1, 2003)
Australian Man to 'Try Lifestyle of Mars' (Sep 27, 2003)
Mission to Meteor Crater (Sep 13, 2003)
Brown University Student Takes Part in an Adventure of a Lifetime (Aug 20, 2003)
Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse Grows First Crop on Devon Island (Aug 13, 2003)
NASA Draws up Blueprints for a Deep-space Mission Simulator (Aug 5, 2003)
Island has Mars Life Down Cold (Aug 3, 2003)
FMARS 2003 Crew Completes Mission (Aug 1, 2003)
Arctic Astronauts Return from Frontier (Aug 1, 2003)
Husband and wife on an Arctic Mars (Jul 30, 2003)
Search for Life on Mars in Canada's Arctic (Jul 30, 2003)
Where no Simulation has Gone Before (Jul 28, 2003)
Hab Serves as the Next-best Thing to Mars (Jul 25, 2003)
Cultures Blend in Mars Simulation (Jul 24, 2003)
Arctic Astronauts Learn to Make Do (Jul 23, 2003)
Keith Cowing's Devon Island Journal: July 20th, 2003 (Jul 22, 2003)
Mood Plays Role in Space Simulation (Jul 22, 2003)
Space Odyssey on an Arctic Frontier (Jul 21, 2003)
Elaine Walker's Adventures on Mars (Jul 20, 2003)
First Plants Growing in Haughton-Mars Project Greenhouse (Jul 20, 2003)
Russians to Simulate Trip to Mars (Jul 19, 2003)
Medical Officer Plays his Part Well (Jul 17, 2003)
Haughton Mars Project Update, July 16th 2003: MARS-1 Humvee Rover Testing (Jul 16, 2003)
Haughton Mars Project Update, July 15th 2003 (Jul 16, 2003)
Keith Cowing's Devon Island Journal 13 July 2003 (Jul 15, 2003)
Townville Couple goes to Mars habitat in Canada (Jul 14, 2003)
Real Work for Simulated ‘Marswalk’ (Jul 14, 2003)
FMARS 2003 Status Report, July 11th (Jul 13, 2003)
South African Spelunking Will Simulate Mars Exploration (Jul 11, 2003)
Mars Mission Simulation Goes 24/7 (Jul 11, 2003)
Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse Status Report, July 10th (Jul 11, 2003)
FMARS 2003 Field Season Begins (Jul 10, 2003)
Haughton Mars Project Update, July 9th (Jul 9, 2003)
Keith Cowing's Devon Island Journal: 3-5 July 2003 (Jul 7, 2003)
NASA Wants to Make Svalbard into Mars (Jul 7, 2003)
Haughton Mars Project Participants Arrive on Devon Island (Jul 4, 2003)
Jan Osburg's FMARS diary (Jul 4, 2003)