It’s getting a little nippy at night on Mars. The Phoenix lander’s Surface Stereo Imager took this image at 6 a.m. on Sol 79 (August 14, 2008 here on Earth), and a thin layer of water frost is visible on the ground around the landing area. From subsequent images, the frost begins to disappear shortly after this image was taken as the sun rises
New images of one of Saturn’s moons will provide clues in solving how a 310-mile-wide ice ball could possibly be shooting geysers of vapor and icy particles.
Two physicists have boldly gone where no reputable scientists should go and devised a new scheme to travel faster than the speed of light.The advance could mean that Star Trek fantasies of interstellar civilisations and voyages powered by warp drive are now no longer the exclusive domain of science fiction writers.
Preparations for the European ExoMars mission appear to be in full swing for a 2013 launch to the Red Planet. This will be a huge mission for ESA as they have yet to control a robot on another planet.
Most planets featured in science fiction tend to be rather generic. These planets are usually convenient celestial bodies upon which to pitch a narrative tent for a few scenes before the plot moves on.
Exquisite close-ups of fissures on a tiny frozen moon of Saturn will provide the latest clues in solving the riddle of how a 310-mile-wide ice ball could possibly be shooting geysers of vapor and icy particles. The moon, Enceladus has jumped to near the top of the list of potential places for life in the solar system.