Lava Tubes Big Enough to Fit A Planetary Base

Both the Moon and Mars were volcanically active at one time and the result is lava tubes. A new study shows that lunar and Martian lava tubes might be enormous, and easily large enough to accommodate a base.

NASA, ULA Launch Perseverance Rover to Mars

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is on its way to the Red Planet to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples to send back to Earth.

Scientists discover volcanoes on Venus are still active

A new study identified 37 recently active volcanic structures on Venus. The study provides some of the best evidence yet that Venus is still a geologically active planet.

Pluto May Have Liquid Ocean Beneath Icy Crust

The accretion of new material during Pluto's formation may have generated enough heat to create a liquid ocean that has persisted beneath an icy crust to the present day.

Evidence that Mars Used to Have a Ring

The ringless Mars we see today is probably an anomaly. We’re in between rings right now, and we’ve assumed that’s normal.

Finally! Mars InSight's Mole is Now Underground

After months of perseverance, the team operating the instrument has succeeded in getting the Mole at least some distance into the ground. The Mole's job is to penetrate into the Martian soil, to a depth of 5m.

Mars May Have Been More “Earth-Like" 4 Billion Years Ago

4 billion year old Nitrogen containing organic molecules has been discovered in Martian meteorites. This finding suggests a wet and organic-rich early Mars, which could have been habitable and favorable for life to start.

BepiColombo mission is heading to Mercury

Scientists are still preparing for the crucial fly-by of Earth by the joint European–Japanese BepiColombo mission to Mercury on 10 April, despite COVID-19 quarantine.

Ancient Mercury Had the Right Stuff For Life

Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is one of the last places we think about when considering the potential for life in the solar system. New research suggests the planet's interior once contained the basic ingredients for life.

Uranus' atmosphere is escaping into space

By going over old data collected by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986, two scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have made the startling discovery that Uranus’ atmosphere is gradually escaping into space.

The Intense Heat from the Sun Helps Ice Form on Mercury

The planet’s extreme daytime heat combined with the super-cold (minus 200-degree Celsius) temperatures in the permanently shadowed craters might be acting like an “ice-making chemistry lab.”

Organic Molecules Found on Mars

The molecules were extracted by the Curiosity rover from a mudstone section of the Gale Crater. Scientists have concluded that we can't rule out those molecules actually have a biological origin.

NASA's possible planetary missions

NASA has selected four possible planetary science missions for further evaluation, two focused on Venus, one on Jupiter's volcanic moon Io and one on Neptune's icy moon Triton. Final selections will be made next year.

Pluto's icy heart makes winds blow

During the day, a thin layer of nitrogen ice warms and turns into vapor. At night, the vapor condenses and once again forms ice. Each sequence is like a heartbeat, pumping nitrogen winds around the dwarf planet.

Asteroid Hygiea May Be Solar System's Smallest Dwarf Planet

Hygiea is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is the fourth largest object in the main asteroid belt. Now, a new telescopic survey suggests Hygiea is a dwarf planet, due to its surprisingly spherical shape.