NASA plans to launch its first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft in 2028, a probe called Space Reactor-1 Freedom that will carry helicopters to Mars.

Mice flown aboard the International Space Station and exposed to Mars-like gravity for roughly a month showed only partial protection against muscle deterioration, according to a peer-reviewed study that raises pointed questions about whether the Red Planet’s pull is strong enough to keep future astronauts healthy.

Like Earth, Mars is surrounded by an ionosphere—the part of its upper atmosphere where radiation from the sun knocks electrons off of atoms and molecules, creating charged particles. The Martian ionosphere is complex and ... Andy Weir's bestselling story ...

A routine drive by NASA’s Curiosity rover accidentally cracked open a Martian rock, revealing rare yellow sulfur crystals. The strange discovery has scientists questioning how such an unexpected mineral formed there.

When astronauts set foot on Mars, it will be one of humanity’s greatest milestones. These first steps will be the result of decades of research, engineering, and imagination coming together, marking the beginning of a new era of discovery on another planet.

Mars occupies a unique position in planetary science as the most accessible natural laboratory for investigating the origin and evolution of terrestrial planets and the potential for life beyond Earth. As the only rocky planet known to have hosted long ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As humanity prepares to take its first steps on Mars, a comprehensive report released today (Dec. 9) from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and steered by scientists at Penn State lays out a detailed ...

Water is considered the basic building block for life as we know it. An extended water history on Mars widens the window of opportunity for life to have once emerged there.