Latest Viking 1 Stories
A new analysis of data collected by the NASA Viking mission has determined that there is life on Mars. Two Viking probes landed on Mars in 1976 and carried out an experiment that heated soil to try and create a chemical reaction that would indicate the presence of life. One of the three experiments, which were known as the "Labeled Release" (LR) experiment, hinted to the presence of life on Mars, while the others did not. A mathematical analysis of the samples found that salts in the...
<font size="2" face="Arial">GOODYEAR, Ariz.</font>, Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --NASA has repeatedly stated that its new mission to Mars, Curiosity, carries no life detector. Yet, Gilbert V. Levin, Experimenter on NASA's 1976 Viking Mission, disagrees. He says instruments aboard Curiosity can confirm his published claim that his Labeled Release (LR) experiment detected living microorganisms on Mars. Dr. Levin was Experimenter and Dr. Patricia Ann Straat...
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander discovered a surpise chemical in 2008, which suggests that carbon-based chemicals found in 1976 by Viking Mars landers could be from the Martian soil and not from cleaning fluids, according to a NASA statement released on Friday."This doesn't say anything about the question of whether or not life has existed on Mars, but it could make a big difference in how we look for evidence to answer that question," said Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research...
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project will pass a historic Martian longevity record on Thursday, May 20. The Opportunity rover will surpass the duration record set by NASA's Viking 1 Lander of six years and 116 days operating on the surface of Mars. The effects of favorable weather on the red planet could also help the rovers generate more power.Opportunity's twin rover, Spirit, began working on Mars three weeks before Opportunity. However, Spirit has been out of...
Scientists say that after the Phoenix spacecraft discovered water on Mars in 2008, it is time the search is put on again for signs of life. This time, scientists want to bring Martian rock and soil samples back to Earth, where they could be analyzed for fossilized traces of alien bacteria, or chemical and biological clues that could only be explained by something that was alive. This kind of venture would be a three-part act, costing as much as $10 billion and taking several years to...
RIVERSIDE, Calif., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertigo, Inc., a subsidiary of HDT Engineered Technologies (HDT), was recognized by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for its contributions as members of the Mars Phoenix Lander Entry, Descent and Landing Team. The first in NASA's Scout Program, Phoenix was launched to Mars in 2007 to study the history of water and habitability potential in the Martian arctic's ice-rich soil. Dara Sabahi, Director at NASA's Jet Propulsion...
PASADENA, Calif., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed frozen water hiding just below the surface of mid-latitude Mars. The spacecraft's observations were obtained from orbit after meteorites excavated fresh craters on the Red Planet. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) Scientists controlling instruments on the orbiter found bright ice exposed at five Martian sites with new craters that range in depth from...
By AARON MACKEY A historic chemistry test of Mars' arctic surface suggests the red planet is capable of supporting plants and microscopic life, though scientists with the UA-led Phoenix Mars lander were careful to qualify their initial findings Thursday. At the least, though, the test shows that Mars' arctic dirt is a lot like fertile soil in people's backyards and could be well- suited to grow such vegetables as asparagus. Calling it the first-ever wet chemistry test of another planet's...
A new analysis of Martian soil data led by University of California, Berkeley, geoscientists suggests that there was once enough water in the planet's atmosphere for a light drizzle or dew to hit the ground, leaving tell-tale signs of its interaction with the planet's surface.The study's conclusion breaks from the more dominant view that the liquid water that once existed during the red planet's infancy came mainly in the form of upwelling groundwater rather than rain.To come up with their...
NASA's Phoenix Lander settled onto the frozen plains surrounding the unexplored Martian north pole on Sunday, ending a 10-month journey from Earth with a harrowing descent, slowed by parachute and braking rockets.Signals confirming the three-legged spacecraft's arrival reached NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at 6:53 p.m. CDT, unleashing a chorus of cheers and hugs from an anxious squad of flight controllers.The blue-and-gold lander is the cornerstone of a $457 million mission designed to...
