100 Day simulated Mission to Mars started today

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The Mars500 crew entered the isolation facility today in Russia. Six people will stay inside the simulated space-ship for 100 days. The European and Russian research project is looking into the social issues that arise when humans live together in a small space for an extended period of time.
A trip to Mars would take 500 days. The 100 days the guys spent in isolation is just a short trip actually. Read more

Posted on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:29:58 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

NASA and Google Launched Virtual Mars Exploration

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NASA and Google have announced the release of a new Mars mode in Google Earth that allows users to view 3D images of the Red Planet. The application is intended to allow users to virtually explore Mars and to allow researchers to use Mars images the way they currently use images from Google Earth.

Users can perform fly-bys of huge mountains on Mars that are much larger than those found on Earth. Exploring the planet can also be done through the eyes of Mars rovers. Users can also add their own 3D content to the maps to share with the world. Read more

Posted on Tue, 3 Feb 2009 10:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

NASA Phoenix Mars Lander has run out of Power

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NASA reports that the Phoenix Mars Lander has stopped communicating as it has run out of power. As anticipated, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander's instruments.

NASA will be listening carefully during the next few weeks to hear if Phoenix revives and phones home again. Read more

Posted on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:29:58 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Phoenix sees Ice vanish on Mars

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The NASA Mars mission apparently gets closer to proof that there is Ice on Mars.

Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench where they were photographed by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander four days ago, convincing scientists that the material was frozen water that vaporized after digging exposed it.

"It must be ice," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice. There had been some question whether the bright material was salt. Salt can't do that." Read more

Posted on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Phoenix is finally cooking Mars Soil

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As reported on the weekend NASA had troubles getting soil the Mars Lander Phoenix collected into its little oven to analyze it.

Through vibrating the filter the Mars soil samples moved inside the tiny oven. The Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer instrument, or TEGA, for Phoenix actually has eight separate tiny ovens to bake and sniff the soil to assess its volatile ingredients, such as water. Read more

Posted on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

So what is Phoenix doing these Days on Mars?

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The last report we published about NASA's Mars Lander Phoenix is a week old. Back then the news was that it is standing on Ice.

The last update NASA released yesterday shows a less exciting situation. Phoenix scooped up some Mars dirt and tried to cook a bit of it to see what is in it. Read more

Posted on Sun, 8 Jun 2008 08:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Phoenix Mars Lander sitting directly on Ice?

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The Nasa Mars lander Phoenix is possibly sitting directly on an ice patch.
A photo of the ground underneath the Phoenix Mars Lander shows a harder substrate that may be ice exposed by the thrusters.

"This suggests we have an ice table under a thin layer of loose soil," said the lead scientist for the Robotic Arm Camera, Horst Uwe Keller of Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg- Lindau, Germany. Read more

Posted on Sun, 1 Jun 2008 16:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Phoenix Mars Lander sends Photo of Icy Grounds

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We reported earlier today about the first photos Phoenix sent from Mars. NASA has now published an approximate-color image that shows polygonal pattern in the ground near the Phoenix Lander that indicates icy grounds.

These polygonal pattern can also be found in the in the arctic regions of Earth. Read more

Posted on Mon, 26 May 2008 07:50:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Phoenix lands on Mars and sends first Photos

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NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed in the northern polar region of Mars successfully today.
Radio signals received at 4:53:44 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53:44 p.m. Eastern Time) confirmed the Phoenix Mars Lander had survived its difficult final descent and touchdown 15 minutes earlier. This time was predicted by NASA elier today. The signals took that long to travel from Mars to Earth at the speed of light. Read more

Posted on Sun, 25 May 2008 23:19:25 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

NASA Phoenix Mars Lander lands tonight

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The NASA Phoenix Mars Lander is on track to land on the red planet tonight at around 8pm EST.

Update:
Phoenix has landed and sent first photos from Mars

The NASA TV online video channel already starts the live coverage of the Phoenix landing at 6pm EST. Read more

Posted on Sun, 25 May 2008 12:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Foxconn MARS Motherboard on Intel P35 Chipset Review

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Digit-Life published a review of the Foxconn MARS Motherboard with Intel P35 Chipset.

Quote from the review: "The MARS motherboard is currently the only product in the Quantum Force series, which Foxconn announced for gamers and overclockers. Read more

Posted on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Summer Gadget of the Day: The 50-Foot Marshmallow Blaster Gun

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If you like to play with food a marshmallow blaster gun is the ideal toy to support that habit.

Hammacher has the ultimate Marshmallow Blaster gun capable of shooting marshmallows 50 feet wide.
The pneumatic gun features easy-to-refill bolt action for fast nonstop shooting. The gun has a cool design with silver body and red and black finishing. Read more

Posted on Fri, 20 Jul 2007 05:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Two Round-Trip Tickets To Mars, Please

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The notoriously famous Virgin company has a division that is devoted to commercial space travel, known as Virgin Galactic. They will apparently be ready to launch ordinary people into the cosmos by 2008.

150 tickets have already been sold at $200,000 a pop. Victoria Principal (of "Dallas" fame), director Bryan Singer, and an "unidentified member of the royal family" have already purchased their tickets for the 2008 launch. That's what you call planning your vacation in advance. Read more

Posted on Tue, 18 Jul 2006 06:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr