Space News & Blog Articles

New results presented at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference could change our approach to Mars exploration. Scientists studying the surface of Mars discovered a relict glacier near the planet’s equator. The relict glacier could signal the presence of buried water ice at the planet’s mid-latitudes.

Some areas of the Martian surface are known for light-toned deposits (LTDs.) NASA’s Viking spacecraft spotted them in the late 1970s. Since then, scientists have found them in Valles Marineris, Hebes Chasma, and in other locations on Mars. Their unusual features have captured the attention of researchers who want to understand how they formed.

While LTDs are named for their colour, that’s not the only way they differ. Their surfaces can set them apart from their surroundings, too. The top of LTDs can be rough, in contrast to their smooth-surfaced surroundings.

As scientists have worked to piece together Mars’ geological history, they’ve tried to understand what exactly LTDs are and where they fit in the timeline. In a 2008 paper, researchers presented evidence that some LTDs are vestiges of large-scale spring deposits.

Different teams of researchers have examined the LTDs and reached different conclusions. Some concluded that they’re lacustrine deposits, some suggested they’re made of deposits eroded from walls, some thought they’re aeolian deposits, and some even suggested that they’re volcanic deposits.

Fans of Star Trek were over the Moon when, in 2018, astronomers with the Dharma Planet Survey (DPS) announced the possible detection of 40 Eridani b, an extrasolar planet in the star system 40 Eridani. Located just 16.3 light-years away, this triple-star system happens to be where the planet Vulcan was located in the popular franchise. Based on radial velocity measurements of the system’s primary star (40 Eridani A), the discovery team estimated that “Vulcan” was a rocky planet several times the mass of Earth (a Super-Earth) with an orbital period of 42 days or so.

The existence of this exoplanet has remained a controversial subject ever since. A study released in 2021 concluded that the signal was a false positive, but the debate remained open. Now, according to a new study by an international team of researchers, the detection of 40 Eridani b was a false positive that astronomers mistook for an exoplanet. The study was part of an archival review of exoplanets to identify promising candidates for follow-up studies. So while “Vulcan” is currently off the table, these results could lead to other exciting discoveries in the coming years.

The study, which was recently accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal, was conducted by researchers from the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI), NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA’s Ames Research Center, the Weizmann Institute of Science, the UCO/Lick Observatory, the Hamburg Observatory, the Cahill Center for Astronomy & Astrophysics, the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, the Carnegie Institution for Science, the Australian Centre for Astrobiology, and multiple universities and research institutes in the U.S., Australia, and China.

An artist’s illustration of the LUVOIR-A telescope concept. Image Credit: NASA

The study focused on exoplanet candidates identified through the Radial Velocity Method (RV) that were part of the list maintained by the NASA/NSF Extreme Precision Radial Velocity Working Group. This method consists of monitoring stars for signs of motion back and forth, a possible indication of orbiting planets that are gravitationally interacting with them. The purpose was to identify exoplanets for follow-up observations by next-generation space telescopes like the Habital Explonet Observatory (HabEx), the Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR), and Starshade Rendezvous missions.

Where on the Moon will the first crewed Artemis mission Land? While NASA is still deliberating on the exact location, they’ve chosen several candidate landing sites near the lunar south pole. This new image captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter reveals what the astronauts might see out the window as they approach their destination.

The region shown here is called Malapert massif, and one of the Artemis III candidate landing sites is the relatively flat spot above a 5,000-meter (16,400 feet) cliff. Another 3,500-meter (11,480 feet) cliff would be visible from this vantage point. It would be a spectacular place to visit, but the terrain could pose a challenge for landing – especially for the first human mission to land on the Moon in over 50 years.

“Imagine the view from the summit,” wrote LROC principal investigator Mark Robinson, on the LRCO website. “One could argue that the sheer grandeur of this region makes it a prime candidate. But then again, a landing here might be too exciting?”

The high-resolution camera on board LRO, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) took this photo on March 3, 2023 when the spacecraft was about 170 kilometers (105 miles) beyond Shackleton crater looking towards the nearside. From this viewpoint, we see the back side of Malapert massif. The Artemis III candidate landing region is partially visible from this viewpoint. Shackleton is the crater near the top left. The relatively flat area above the “5000” in the image below is the heart of the Artemis 3 landing region, which continues down the slope toward the Earth-facing side of the Moon, as seen here.

NASA has identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar South Pole. Each region contains multiple potential landing sites for Artemis III, which will be the first of the Artemis missions to bring crew to the lunar surface, including the first woman to set foot on the Moon.