SUNSET: 
NASA's Plans for Putting Humans on Mars
Scientists and engineers gathered together to figure out what would make a good Martian landing site and what hurdles they’ll have to overcome for a 2035 launch.
Mars Losing Gas to Solar Wind
NASA’s Mars orbiter MAVEN has painted a detailed picture of how the solar wind robs the Red Planet of its atmosphere.
Waterlogged Salts on Mars
Scientists have confirmed that water-soaked salts likely create dark seasonal lines on Mars.
The Glint of Martian Glass
Scientists have detected glass in Martian craters, created by the fierce heat of impacts that melted the Red Planet’s surface.
MAVEN Spots Dust Cloud, Aurora on Mars
NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft has detected dust high in Mars’s atmosphere and auroras across the planet’s northern hemisphere.
Curiosity Studies Mars Dry-out
Samples taken from two drill holes on Mars support the idea that Mars lost a whole lot of water fairly early in its history.
Curiosity Finds Methane, Other Organics
NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected both methane in Mars’s atmosphere and carbon-bearing organic compounds in its rocks. But it’s unclear where these molecules come from — or whether there’s any biological connection.
MAVEN Finds New Particles, Ion Plume
NASA’s MAVEN mission has discovered a new population of particles in Mars’s upper atmosphere. It’s also found a plume of particles escaping from the planet’s poles, confirming atmospheric loss is happening today.
Mars Orbiters Duck for Cover
Mission planners have devised an unusual strategy for protecting orbiting spacecraft when Comet Siding Spring passes the Red Planet in October 2014.
NASA Gears Up for Mars 2020 Rover
Six years from now, there will be a new NASA robot heading to the Red Planet: the Mars 2020 rover. On July 31st mission planners unveiled the rover’s seven scientific instruments, which will pave the way for human exploration of Mars.
Two Moon-Planet Conjunctions Juice Up July
On July 5th, the Moon has a remarkably close brush with Mars, followed two nights later by a similar rendezvous with Saturn.
Is Water Flowing on Mars?
Spacecraft images are keeping an eye on little surface flows on Mars that show up in midsummer, then fade over time. It's the strongest suggestion yet that the Red Planet can get wet.
Dust Storm Erupts on Mars
Earlier this week amateur astronomers watching Mars spotted a large — and growing — dust cloud over the planet's southern hemisphere.
Dust Storms on Mars
Just as it's swinging close by Earth, Mars has spawned widenings dust storms visible in amateur telescopes.
Dust Storm on Mars
A large regional dust storm has enveloped several thousand square kilometers of the red planet and shows no signs of abating.
Another Martian Dust Storm
Less than one month after a localized dust storm appeared on the Martian surface, another dust cloud has spring up.
