27 April 2016
Dwarf planet MakeMake found to have a moon
... small bodies made largely of ice. Indeed both Pluto and MakeMake are already known to be covered in frozen methane. Preliminary estimates of the moon indicate that it is in a circular orbit around MakeMake and thus completes a circuit around...
17 June 2016
ExoMars' Trace Gas Orbiter Sends Back First Mars Image
... are expected to arrive on the Red Planet on October 19, 2016.The TGO will then map the sources of methane and other gases on Mars, while also acting as a communications relay satellite. The lander will test landing...
22 June 2016
Does a subsurface ocean exist on Pluto?
... theory. Not only that, but the multi-hued appearance of Pluto’s surface is indicative of water, nitrogen and methane ices littering the planet and their discovery bolster the case for a thick ice shell. "Those...
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...
