Topic: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Massive craters
In Pictures: Exploring Mars with Curiosity
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Blowing in the Wind
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Deep Impacts
In Pictures: Space photos of the day 09/01

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Mars might still harbor life, say scientists

Liquid water might flow seasonally at some places on Mars, potentially supporting microbial life, say some researchers.
Cover Story The Mars mystique

After 50 years of missions to Mars, scientists are unlocking some of the mysteries surrounding a planet that has captivated mankind for millenniums. Will humans ever leave a boot print on Mars?
Orbiter spots 'dry ice' snowflakes falling on Red Planet

Snow on Mars: The Martian south pole hosts a frozen carbon dioxide — or 'dry ice' — cap year-round, and the new discovery may help explain how it formed and persists, researchers said.
Spectacular photo shows Mars rover tracks from space

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the Curiosity rover's progress as it zig-zags over the Red Planet's surface.
Mars rover: Color panorama of crater brings scientific treasure into view (+video)

The rover Curiosity has provided NASA scientists with its first full-circle panorama of the Gale Crater. In the distance beckon hills whose rocks hold a trove of information: Mars' climate history.
Hey, is that Mars or the Mojave in NASA rover's photo?

One of the first images from the camera atop the rover Curiosity's mast shows a Mars landscape that scientists called remarkably Earth-like, as if NASA 'put a rover out in the Mojave Desert.'
Mars 'crime scene' photo places rover Curiosity right where it wants to be

Dubbed 'the crime scene,' an overhead photo of the Curiosity landing site taken by a Mars orbiter indicates NASA's rover is in an almost ideal spot to carry out its mission.
Amazing photograph shows Mars rover just before landing

A spectacular photo taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the Curiosity Mars rover as it dangles from a supersonic parachute shortly before safely touching down on the Red Planet.
NASA scientists get first rover's-eye view of Gale Crater on Mars (+video)

The rover Curiosity, which touched down on Mars early Monday, has so far sent back seven images of the surface, including a fuzzy profile of Mt. Sharp, the mountain in the center of Gale Crater.
Curiosity Mars rover could offer stunning views of Red Planet (+video)

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover contains the most advanced robotic cameras ever sent to Mars. If Curiosity lands successfully, it could send back never-before-seen images from the Martian surface.
Will NASA's $2.5 billion Mars rover crash on Sunday? (+video)

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover faces a terrifying seven-minute plunge through the Red Planet's atmosphere using a first-of-its-kind landing system involving a supersonic parachute and a 'sky-crane' that will lower the rover to the Martian surface.
Why we keep going back to Mars (+video)

The Mars Curiosity Rover scheduled to touch down on Aug. 5 represents mankind's 40th attempt to explore the Red Planet over the past 50 years. What is it about the Mars that keeps calling us back?
Odyssey successfully positioned for new Mars Rover's landing, NASA says

NASA announced the 11-year-old Mars Odyssey, which recently suffered a malfunction, has been successfully positioned to provide confirmation of Curiosity's August 5 landing.
Will NASA's Mars rover land safely? Glitch could delay news. (+video)

NASA's Curiosity rover is due to touch down on the Martian surface on August 5, but a malfunction in another NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars will mean we'll all have to wait longer to find out if the landing is successful.
Mars lava unlocks the red planet's secrets (+video)

The first lava ever seen in an extraterrestrial environment was spotted recently by scientists. It indicates that Mars was shaped by volcanic activity.
Marsquake? How rumblings could bolster hope for life on Mars.

If seismic activity on Mars is recent, and it can be traced to a volcano, it could mean that there is a source of heat to melt ice and provide potential habitats for simple forms of life.
NASA to exchange 'flagship' missions for small-ball projects (+video)

NASA is drastically scaling back its Mars exploration initiatives in exchange for smaller, more efficient missions, agency officials say.
Is NASA giving up on Mars? (+video)

NASA's 2013 budget includes deep cuts to its planetary science mission, particularly its efforts to send spacecraft to Mars. Instead, the space agency will focus on human spaceflight and infrared astronomy. Is NASA now heading down the wrong path?
Scientists find 'best evidence' yet for liquid water now on Mars

NASA's ongoing quest to 'follow the water,' in hopes of finding hints of life on Mars, has uncovered seasonally-appearing dark streaks that researchers call 'the best evidence we have to date of liquid water occurring today' – that is, not in the ancient past – 'on Mars.'
Where did life exist on Mars? NASA chooses landing site for Curiosity rover

Curiosity rover, formally known as the Mars Science Laboratory, will land at the foot of an 18,000-foot mountain in Gale crater, NASA announced Friday. The mount is expected to yield unparalleled information on where and when life might have existed on Mars.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Massive craters
In Pictures: Exploring Mars with Curiosity
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Blowing in the Wind
Mars may have been habitable underground, new research suggests

Evidence from an ancient meteor strike on Mars indicates the presence of liquid water at some point in the Red Planet's ancient past.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Deep Impacts