Latest news with #MarsRovers
Washington Post
08-07-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
Trump's NASA budget could cede solar system to China, scientists warn
There is a fully tenured NASA spacecraft named Mars Odyssey that has been faithfully orbiting the Red Planet since October 2001. It has made more than 100,000 spins around Mars. No spacecraft has orbited a distant planet for so long. Odyssey has a few old-age issues, including running low on the fuel for thrusters that help it point in the right direction. But it works, beaming data about Mars and images of the surface back to Earth. As a side hustle, it has served as a communication relay for NASA's Mars rovers.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The secret of why Mars grew cold and dry may be locked away in its rocks
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The discovery by the Mars rovers of carbonate in sedimentary rock on the Red Planet has enabled planetary scientists to rewind the clock and tell the tale of how Mars' warmer, watery climate 3.5 billion years ago changed to the barren, dry and cold environment that it is today. We know that, in the distant past, Mars was warmer than it is today and had liquid water on its surface. We can see evidence for this in the form of ancient river channels, deltas, lakes and even the eroded coastlines of a large sea in the north. Sometime in the past 3.5 billion years, Mars' atmosphere thinned and its water either froze or was lost to space. The question is, how did that happen? NASA's MAVEN – Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN – mission arrived at the Red Planet in 2014 charged with studying the loss rate of Mars' atmospheric molecules to space. However, scientists know that the carbon in Mars' atmosphere, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide, cannot have been mostly lost to space. That's because the lighter carbon-12 would preferentially escape rather than the marginally heavier carbon-13 (the difference between the two being one extra neutron), but we don't see an excess of carbon-13 in Mars' atmosphere today. The alternative is that Mars' atmospheric carbon must have rained out of the atmosphere and subsequently been locked away in the ground, in the form of carbonates embedded in sedimentary rock. The trouble is, searches for carbonates on Mars had always found nothing, until relatively recently. Both current Mars rover missions – Curiosity climbing Mount Sharp in Gale crater and Perseverance exploring the river delta in Jezero Crater – have discovered carbonates, in the sedimentary rock that form Mount Sharp, and stretching tens of kilometers along the rim of Jezero. Because carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, it can therefore regulate a planet's climate. Losing that carbon dioxide as it transforms into carbonate rocks would have had a drastic effect on Mars' climate. To determine just how drastic, planetary scientists led by Edwin Kite of the University of Chicago modeled how losing its atmospheric carbon in carbonate rocks has affected how Mars' climate has changed over the past 3.5 billion years. This is coupled with the increase in solar luminosity as the sun brightens with age (in just over a billion years' time the sun will be too luminous and hot for life on Earth to survive). As the sun grew hotter, it breathed more heat onto Mars, increasing the planet's average temperature. This led to more precipitation, causing the carbon dioxide to rain out and become locked away as carbonate. With the loss of the carbon dioxide's greenhouse effects, Mars cooled and grew drier. Intermittent spells of high temperatures and shallow liquid water were caused by orbital variations, similar to the Milankovitch cycles on Earth, which are periodic variations in the shape of Earth's orbit and the tilt of our planet's axis caused by the gravitational forces of the other planets, and which affect our long-term climate. The difference between Earth and Mars is that our planet has been able to manage a continuous outgassing of carbon dioxide, mostly from volcanism, to maintain its presence in our atmosphere. Mars, which is about half the diameter of Earth, lost heat from its core more rapidly, which slowed down and ultimately – as far as we can tell – stopped Mars' volcanic activity. With no active volcanoes, or at least very few, there was nothing to replenish the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These findings help explain the geological evidence of subsequent but increasingly less frequent bursts of liquid water on the surface of Mars during the past 3.5 billion years. RELATED STORIES — Early visions of Mars: Meet the 19th-century astronomer who used science fiction to imagine the Red Planet — Is the US forfeiting its Red Planet leadership to China's Mars Sample Return plan? — NASA's Curiosity rover takes a closer look at 'spiderwebs' on Mars | Space photo of the day for July 1, 2025 There is one caveat, which is that the study assumes that the abundance of carbonates at Gale crater is typical of the entire Red Planet. Carbonate samples need to be identified in many locations before we can say for sure that this was how Mars lost its greenhouse gas. The research is published in Nature.
Los Angeles Times
27-06-2025
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
Orange County science reading challenge winners enjoy special JPL visit
Delaney Martinez was like a kid in a candy store. In reality, she was a kid in a laboratory when she and 11 other Orange County students took a special VIP tour of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge on June 17. Delaney, who makes science videos on her YouTube channel 'Science With Dee' and has more than 175,000 followers, certainly felt right at home. 'It was so much fun,' the 13-year-old said. 'My favorite part was definitely seeing all of the models of the Mars Rovers. Those were super-cool, because they had the very first model to the newest one. It was really cool seeing the comparison.' The students all earned the trip based on their work in the 2024 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Race to Space Reading Challenge. Founder Pat Burns said she started the Race to Space Reading Challenge in 2021 after the Orange County Children's Book Festival, which she co-founded, had to go virtual the previous year due to the coronavirus pandemic. 'I missed having the kids really engaged,' Burns said. 'So I decided to not do a virtual book festival in 2021. I wanted to do a reading challenge, but wanted to be able to encourage STEM. To my surprise, we had more than 1,600 kids register and we had more than 500 finish it.' She retired from running the children's book festival following the 2022 edition to devote her time to the reading challenge. In the reading challenge's three years, more than 4,000 total students have participated. Divided by age group into four levels, the students chart their STEM book-reading progress on an online platform called Beanstack. Anything they read past the requirements earns them bonus tickets, which they can enter to win things like Zoom calls with astronauts, the trip to JPL, laptop computers, sports tickets or book bundles from publishers. Ryan Melendez, an incoming seventh grader at the Pegasus School in Huntington Beach, said his teacher Jaime Kunze-Thibeau recommended the program to him. The trip to JPL was one of the coolest things he did all year, he said. 'My favorite part would be the mission control center,' Ryan said. 'There were a bunch of people on computers there. I thought it was pretty cool. That would be a fun job to do.' After perusing the lab with two scientist tour guides, the students got to go to the California Institute of Technology for a special buffet lunch at the Athenaeum, a private club on the Pasadena school's campus. 'It's just stunning inside,' Burns said of the Athenaeum, which opened in 1930 with a formal dinner to celebrate Albert Einstein's first visit to Caltech. 'The architecture, the detailed woodwork, the white tablecloths, the waiters. The kids, about half of them, liked it as much as they liked the tour, which shocked me. They really appreciated and knew they were someplace special.' Julia Rundzio, an incoming sixth-grade student at Sequoia Elementary School in Westminster, also entered several tickets into the drawing and was selected for the JPL trip. For the next S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge, she might help promote the program within her school, said Julia's father, Remi Rundzio. 'It's an amazing program,' Julia said. 'It motivates kids to read books that are not just fiction, but also have science elements and help educate about different things that are going on around us.' Other county students who went on the JPL trip included Emma Zirney and Kenzie Murdie of Lake Forest, Andrew Lee Golden of Garden Grove, Harry Lee of Fullerton, Madelyn Perez of Mission Viejo, Matthew Jay of Irvine, Rinal Jamal of Yorba Linda, Sahas Yalamanchili of Irvine and Sai Sitaraman of Fullerton. The students ranged from elementary age to high school. Burns said the program has relied on generous donations for the bonus opportunities, as well as funding from grants. This is the first year the students have been able to tour JPL due to previous COVID protocols. The 2025 edition of the S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge blasts off Oct. 3, with registration starting Sept. 19. Burns said she's looking to connect with Rocket Lab to organize a bonus tour, or Vast, another Long Beach-based company that is developing artificial gravity space stations.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
StratEdge Marks 40 Years of Innovation at IMS 2025 Booth 336
Celebrating a legacy of high-reliability packaging— from powering Mars Rovers to advancing today's telecom, defense, and 5G systems SANTEE, Calif., June 12, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StratEdge Corporation, leader in the design and production of high-performance semiconductor packages for microwave, millimeter-wave, and high-power devices, will showcase its thermally-efficient line of post-fired and molded ceramic semiconductor packages in Booth 336 at the International Microwave Symposium (IMS), held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, from June 17–19. StratEdge packages operate from DC to 63+ GHz and effectively dissipate heat from compound semiconductor devices such as gallium nitride (GaN), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and silicon carbide (SiC). These packages enable compound semiconductor devices to meet the critical demands of markets such as telecom, broadband wireless, satellite, defense, test and measurement, automotive, and harsh environments. The StratEdge team looks forward to meeting attendees face-to-face to discuss your high-frequency, high-reliability, and high-power packaging requirements. StratEdge's molded ceramic packages offer a convenient solution for space and defense applications and can be manufactured with thermally-enhanced metal bases to ensure efficient heat dissipation. Its post-fired ceramic packages are known for their electrical transition designs, which minimize signal losses to an exceptional degree. StratEdge also offers in-house assembly services in a state-of-the-art cleanroom equipped with the latest precision wire bonding and die attach systems, backed by decades of microelectronics assembly experience of high-frequency devices. Holz Engineering, the company that became StratEdge in 1992, was founded by Gary Holz in 1985. Since its inception, StratEdge has delivered high-quality, high-performance products for the microwave industry. "Much has changed since 1985, but some things have remained constant," said Casey Krawiec, Vice President of Global Sales at StratEdge. "We continue to design and manufacture packages for high-frequency, high-power, and high-reliability applications. StratEdge packages have been trusted from the very beginning for their superior performance in demanding applications and environments." Krawiec added, "Sadly, Ron Bub, StratEdge's first president, passed away on December 20 of last year. He was a remarkable leader who laid the strong foundation the company continues to build upon today." To learn more about StratEdge and its expanded production facilities, take a virtual tour at or visit the website at Photo: About StratEdge StratEdge Corporation designs, manufactures, and provides assembly services for a complete line of high-frequency and high-power semiconductor packages operating from DC to 63+ GHz. StratEdge offers post-fired ceramic and lower-cost molded ceramic packages, specializing in packages for extremely demanding gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices. Markets served include telecom for 5G, VSAT, broadband wireless, satellite, defense, test and measurement, automotive, clean energy, and harsh environments. All packages are lead-free and most meet RoHS and WEEE standards. Our facility in Santee, California, near San Diego, is both ITAR registered and ISO 9001:2015 certified. View source version on Contacts For more information contact:Casey KrawiecStratEdge Corporation9424 Abraham Way, Santee, CA 92071Email: Phone: +1.858.569.5000 Tricia McGoughTW Marketing (agency)+1.254.383.9700Email: tricia@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
StratEdge Marks 40 Years of Innovation at IMS 2025 Booth 336
SANTEE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- StratEdge Corporation, leader in the design and production of high-performance semiconductor packages for microwave, millimeter-wave, and high-power devices, will showcase its thermally-efficient line of post-fired and molded ceramic semiconductor packages in Booth 336 at the International Microwave Symposium (IMS), held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, from June 17–19. StratEdge packages operate from DC to 63+ GHz and effectively dissipate heat from compound semiconductor devices such as gallium nitride (GaN), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and silicon carbide (SiC). These packages enable compound semiconductor devices to meet the critical demands of markets such as telecom, broadband wireless, satellite, defense, test and measurement, automotive, and harsh environments. StratEdge marks 40 years of innovation at IMS 2025, highlighting high-performance ceramic packages for RF, microwave, and high-power applications—trusted in telecom, defense, 5G systems, and on Mars Rovers. Visit Booth 336 at the Moscone Center, June 17–19 Share The StratEdge team looks forward to meeting attendees face-to-face to discuss your high-frequency, high-reliability, and high-power packaging requirements. StratEdge's molded ceramic packages offer a convenient solution for space and defense applications and can be manufactured with thermally-enhanced metal bases to ensure efficient heat dissipation. Its post-fired ceramic packages are known for their electrical transition designs, which minimize signal losses to an exceptional degree. StratEdge also offers in-house assembly services in a state-of-the-art cleanroom equipped with the latest precision wire bonding and die attach systems, backed by decades of microelectronics assembly experience of high-frequency devices. Holz Engineering, the company that became StratEdge in 1992, was founded by Gary Holz in 1985. Since its inception, StratEdge has delivered high-quality, high-performance products for the microwave industry. "Much has changed since 1985, but some things have remained constant," said Casey Krawiec, Vice President of Global Sales at StratEdge. "We continue to design and manufacture packages for high-frequency, high-power, and high-reliability applications. StratEdge packages have been trusted from the very beginning for their superior performance in demanding applications and environments." Krawiec added, "Sadly, Ron Bub, StratEdge's first president, passed away on December 20 of last year. He was a remarkable leader who laid the strong foundation the company continues to build upon today." To learn more about StratEdge and its expanded production facilities, take a virtual tour at or visit the website at Photo: About StratEdge StratEdge Corporation designs, manufactures, and provides assembly services for a complete line of high-frequency and high-power semiconductor packages operating from DC to 63+ GHz. StratEdge offers post-fired ceramic and lower-cost molded ceramic packages, specializing in packages for extremely demanding gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices. Markets served include telecom for 5G, VSAT, broadband wireless, satellite, defense, test and measurement, automotive, clean energy, and harsh environments. All packages are lead-free and most meet RoHS and WEEE standards. Our facility in Santee, California, near San Diego, is both ITAR registered and ISO 9001:2015 certified.
