Latest Spirit rover Stories

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA began a historic voyage to Mars with the Nov. 26 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which carries a car-sized rover named Curiosity. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket occurred at 10:02 a.m. EST. (Logo: <font size="2" face="Arial">http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO</font> ) "We are very excited about sending the world's most advanced...

[ Watch the Launch Video ] The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft and the rover known as Curiosity are on their way to the Red Planet after lifting off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 shortly after 10am EST Saturday. An Atlas V rocket carrying MSL successfully ignited and cleared the tower at 10:02am Eastern on November 26, according to NASA's official launch blog. Approximately four minutes later, the first stage exhausted its propellant and...

NASA will be embarking on its fourth rover mission to Mars on Saturday with the launch of the long-anticipated rover Curiosity. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover will take off aboard an Atlas V rocket at 10:02 a.m. (EST) on Saturday. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in August 2012 to investigate whether the landing region has had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life. Curiosity is equipped with the most advanced suit of instruments for...

NASA is launching a new $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory on Saturday at 10:02 a.m. Aboard an unmanned United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. The launch will take place from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station just south of the Kennedy Space Center, according to Reuters.. The rover, named Curiosity, is being sent in order to answer the question of whether life does or has ever existed on Mars. Previous missions with the Spirit and Opportunity rovers found evidence of water in the...

Images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) show sand dunes and ripples moving across the surface of Mars at dozens of locations and shifting up to several yards. These observations reveal the planet's sandy surface is more dynamic than previously thought. "Mars either has more gusts of wind than we knew about before, or the winds are capable of transporting more sand," said Nathan Bridges, planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel,...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) show sand dunes and ripples moving across the surface of Mars at dozens of locations and shifting up to several yards. These observations reveal the planet's sandy surface is more dynamic than previously thought. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) "Mars either has more gusts of wind than we knew about before, or the winds are capable of transporting more...

NASA's most advanced mobile robotic laboratory, which will examine one of the most intriguing areas on Mars, is in final preparations for a launch from Florida's Space Coast at 10:25 a.m. EST (7:25 a.m. PST) on Nov. 25. The Mars Science Laboratory mission will carry Curiosity, a rover with more scientific capability than any ever sent to another planet. The rover is now sitting atop an Atlas V rocket awaiting liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. "Preparations are on track for...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's most advanced mobile robotic laboratory, which will examine one of the most intriguing areas on Mars, is in final preparations for a launch from Florida's Space Coast at 10:25 a.m. EST on Nov. 25. (Logo: <font size="2" face="Arial">http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) </font> The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission will carry Curiosity, a rover with more scientific capability than any...

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named Cornell University Astronomy Professor Steven W. Squyres, as chairman of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), an assembly of experts from various fields that offer guidance and policy advice to the administrator of America's space agency. "I am extremely excited that Steve has accepted the NAC chairmanship," Bolden said. "His experience as a planetary science researcher with many NASA robotic missions will be of great value to the council. The...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named Cornell University Astronomy Professor Steven W. Squyres, as chairman of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), an assembly of experts from various fields that offer guidance and policy advice to the administrator of America's space agency. (Logo: <font size="2" face="Arial">http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO</font>) "I am extremely excited that Steve has accepted...