15 August 2016
Was early Mars warmed by cirrus cloud cover?
... rates required to produce the ancient valleys. Other combinations of gases such SO2 (sulphur dioxide) and CH4 (methane) are also theorised, but although they might ‘fix’ one problem, disadvantages also creep in. SO2 for...
28 September 2016
Musk unveils ambitious plans for Mars
... and 80 days to get to Mars and eventually in as little as 30 days. The system consists of a spaceship that is refuelled with methane and oxygen in Earth orbit and also on Mars after landing there. He explained that to achieve the target...
17 October 2016
ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbitor positions itself ready for its planned orbit insertion on Wednesday
... by Schiaparelli. The TGO also carries scientific instruments of its own to detect and study trace gases, such as methane, water vapour, nitrogen oxides, and acetylene that are present in very small amounts (less than 1%) in the...
22 February 2017
NASA announces the discovery of first-ever exoplanet system with seven Earth-size planets
... the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet system. Webb will enable the research team to detect chemical traces of water, oxygen, methane, and other chemicals, as well as analyze temperatures and surface pressures. “This discovery could be a significant piece in the...
23 October 2017
Space race ramps up between Blue Origin and SpaceX
... as an upper stage on the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles. The Raptor prototype is powered by densified liquid methane and liquid oxygen, and it will have over three times the thrust of the Merlin 1D engine that...
13 December 2017
Bright spots suggest Ceres is surprisingly active
... a fractured surface. The upsurge of briny water driven to the surface by a small amount of gas such as water vapour, methane or ammonia – in the the way champagne gushes out of its bottle when the cork is removed – boiled off...
