Latest news with #Viking1
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Science
- The Hindu
Landing on the red planet
Up, up, and away! The question of whether Mars supports life, or if it has in any point of its history, has been on the minds of people – both scientists and common folk – for a very long time. Flyby explorations of the red planet in the 1960s ended hopes of an inhabited world. In 1971, the Mariner 9 mission entered orbit around Mars and the photographs it returned showed surface features that could have been generated by liquids that had flown. In such circumstances, the logical next step in Mars exploration was to place landers on the surface, with the necessary technology to analyse Martian soil and atmosphere. Budget constraints, however, meant that the concept of a single, long-duration Mars lander had to be revised and replaced with two orbiters and two landers with a shorter planned surface observation time. The result was the two-part Viking mission, with both Viking 1 and Viking 2 having an orbiter and lander. Using smaller launch vehicles and scaled-down mission objectives, the mission aimed at investigating Mars for signs of life with a targeted minimum of 90 days on the planet. The Viking project was managed by NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. While the orbiters of the twin spacecraft were based on the Mariner 9 spacecraft and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, the lander was built by Martin Marietta under contract to NASA Langley with JPL in charge of handling operations. On August 20, 1975, Viking 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Even as it was making its way on its 304-day voyage to Mars, its twin, Viking 2, was launched on September 9 to begin its 320-day journey. From one anniversary to another On June 19, 1976, Viking 1 was in the vicinity of our neighbouring planet, entering into an elliptical orbit around Mars. The mission planners had grand ideas, planning for the Viking 1 lander to reach the Martian surface on July 4. This was special because it would have meant that the landing would coincide with the bicentennial of the U.S. – the 200th anniversary of the nation's founding. Even the best laid plans, however, might not fruition. Photographs that Viking 1 sent from its orbit showed the landing site that had originally been chosen for July 4 was rougher than expected. As celebrations made way for safety, another two weeks were needed to search and finalise a new, safer touchdown site for landing. Viking 1's orbit was adjusted and on July 20, the lander separated from the orbiter and began its descent towards the Martian surface. Once the soft landing in the Chryse Planitia region of Mars was successful, it almost immediately started beaming back photographs of its landing site. Even though the bicentennial celebrations in Mars had been missed out, Viking 1 lander had made it to the Martian surface on another anniversary – one that is now equally revered, even throughout the world. For it was on July 20, 1969 that the Apollo 11 mission had achieved its grand success, allowing human beings to set foot on the moon for the first time ever. Viking 2, meanwhile, entered into orbit around the red planet on July 25, with its lander successfully landing on the surface in Utopia Planitia on September 3. Picture perfect The lander, which weighed 978 kg and looked in a way like a much bigger version of the Surveyor lunar lander, began relaying back information from the time it separated from the orbiter. This meant that even during the complicated atmospheric entry sequence, Viking 1 lander was taking air samples. Once landed, the spacecraft took in its surroundings. In addition to high-quality, high-resolution images, the lander also managed panoramic views. While the 300-degree panorama of the lander's surroundings showed parts of the spacecraft too, what mattered more was the rolling plains of the Martian environment. Though pictures were high on the agenda, the lander did several other things as well. The seismometer might have failed, but the other instruments and equipment provided valuable data. Instruments recorded temperatures on the Martian surface and these ranged from minus 86 degrees Celsius before dawn to minus 33 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. A little over a week after landing, Viking 1's robot arm scooped up the first soil samples on July 28 and this was deposited into a special biological laboratory. Data from Viking 1 indicated that there were no traces of life, but it did enhance our understanding of the planet's surface and atmosphere. It helped characterise Mars as a cold planet with volcanic soil and an abundance of sulphur, different from any known material found on the Earth and its moon. The Martian atmosphere was shown to be thin, dry and cold, and primarily composed of carbon dioxide. Evidence for ancient river beds and vast flooding were also gathered. Outdoing expectations The primary mission for both Viking 1 and Viking 2 ended in November 1976. Activities, however, continued well beyond that as both orbiters and landers exceeded their planned 90-day lifetimes by a distance. While Viking 1 and 2 orbiters continued their missions until August 17, 1980, and July 24, 1978, respectively, the landers observed weather changes on the surface until November 11, 1982, and April 12, 1980, respectively. The Viking 1 lander first started sending out daily weather reports as part of the Viking Monitor Mission, which was eventually replaced to be a weekly report. Following the death of Thomas A. Mutch, who led the imaging team for the Viking project, on October 6, 1980, the Viking 1 lander and the site where it remains were renamed the Thomas Mutch Memorial Station. The Viking 1 lander operated faultlessly until November 11, 1982, when a human error brought about its end. A faulty command sent from Earth interrupted communications with the lander, and further attempts to resume contact were of no avail. The landers of Viking 1 and 2 together returned 4,500 images from the two landing sites. Having been on the Martian surface for 2,307 Earth days or 2,245 Martian sols, Viking 1 lander set the record for the longest operating spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Viking 1 held this record until May 19, 2010, when the Opportunity rover finally broke the record. Opportunity set that record at 14.5 Earth years or 5,111 sols, with its mission ending only during a planet-wide dust storm in 2018.
Scottish Sun
24-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Martian ‘kneeling to pray', monstrous spiders, secret doorway and Ghandi's FACE – the creepiest pics of Mars ever taken
A giant creature's face has also been spotted ALIEN WORLD Martian 'kneeling to pray', monstrous spiders, secret doorway and Ghandi's FACE – the creepiest pics of Mars ever taken Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EVEN though humans have never set foot on Mars, we've still got plenty of photos of the red planet. And if you went by those pics alone, you'd think the Martian surface was littered with mysterious faces, swarms of monstrous spiders, and even alien beings. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 15 This legendary Martian feature has been famous around the world since the 1970s Credit: NASA/JPL 15 It looks like a stone carving of a giant human (or even alien) face Credit: NASA/JPL Of course, Mars is just a barren wasteland – only occupied by camera-toting rovers shipped there from Earth. So why do we see all of these strange faces and figures on Mars? Well it's a phenomenon known as pareidolia, which is a human tendency to see patterns when there isn't one – and it's often to blame for those bizarre sightings on the red planet. Here are some of the creepiest "sightings" from our space neighbour, Mars. CYDONIA 'FACE ON MARS' One of the most iconic Martian faces is from the Cydonia region. The feature was first captured in 1976, revealing a strikingly humanlike formation on the Martian surface. Early images of the region were snapped by Viking 1 and Viking 2, a pair of Nasa orbiters tasked with imaging Mars. It's since been captured in several later photographs, clearly exposing it as an optical illusion. Sadly it's not a giant alien face at all – but a massive 1.2-mile-long Cydonian mesa. The region is known for its flat-topped mesas. SPACED OUT Stunning images of Mars surface revealed by Nasa BEAR WE GO 15 The giant face of a bear was captured on the Martian surface Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Forget Stonehenge – what about a giant bear circle? That's what was seemingly snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on December 12, 2022. It looks like the face of an enormous grizzly, but it's actually just a weird hill, as Nasa explains: "A V-shaped collapse structure makes the nose, two craters form the eyes, and a circular fracture pattern shapes the head. "The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater." LEG IT! 15 Arachnophobes, look away now Credit: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS 15 These strange spider-like formations aren't eight-legged critters – and that's very good news Credit: Nasa / JPL / MRO Several images of what look like terrifyingly large spiders have been captured on Mars. The first was caught by the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter in October 2020, and the second was picked up by Nasa's MRO in May 2018. Thankfully they're not spiders at all – but a strange phenomenon called "araneiform terrain". "This is an active seasonal process not seen on Earth," Nasa explained. "Like dry ice on Earth, the carbon dioxide ice on Mars sublimates as it warms (changes from solid to gas) and the gas becomes trapped below the surface. "Over time the trapped carbon dioxide gas builds in pressure and is eventually strong enough to break through the ice as a jet that erupts dust. "The gas is released into the atmosphere and darker dust may be deposited around the vent or transported by winds to produce streaks. "The loss of the sublimated carbon dioxide leaves behind these spider-like features etched into the surface." LIVING ON A PRAYER 15 All the way to the far left of this image is what appears to be a Martian Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University 15 Look closely – can you see him? Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University (highlighted by The Sun) 15 The striking image appears to show a kneeling man Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University (cropped by The Sun) In 2007, Nasa's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured what appeared to be a person kneeling in prayer. It made headlines around the world when the image was released in early 2008. The eerie scene was part of a vast panorama of Martian hills taken during the closing months of Spirit's mission. Of course, all we're actually seeing is an interesting rock, and a trick of the light. GHANDI'S MARTIAN TWIN 15 Is this the face of Ghandi on Mars? Credit: ESA 15 Can you see any resemblance to Indian statesman and activist Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi? Credit: Getty - Contributor Pictures from Europe's Mars Express probe appear to have captured a Ghandi lookalike on Mars. The Mars Orbiter has been used to pack out the Google Mars project with satellite-style snaps of the red planet. And in 2011, Italian space fan Matteo Lanneo thought he spotted Ghandi's likeness on the surface. Of course, it's just another classic example of pareidolia, where we're simply seeing things that aren't really there. 15 Here's a better and higher-resolution snap of the spot captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which much more clearly shows a collapse pit rather than a hill Credit: ASU Mars Space Flight Facility MARTIAN DOORWAY 15 A panoramic image captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover shows a secret doorway Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS 15 Nasa used its data to create a measurement of the 'doorway' Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS 15 The space agency says it's just a common type of fracture Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS In mid-2022, Nasa captured what appeared to be a "doorway" into a mound of rock nicknamed 'East Cliffs'. The picture of the mound on Mount Sharp was snapped by Nasa's Curiosity Rover. Sadly it's not really a doorway, as Nasa explains: "The mound, on Mount Sharp, has a number of naturally occurring open fractures – including one roughly 12 inches (30 centimeters) tall and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide, similar in size to a dog door. "These kinds of open fractures are common in bedrock, both on Earth and on Mars."
The Irish Sun
24-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Martian ‘kneeling to pray', monstrous spiders, secret doorway and Ghandi's FACE – the creepiest pics of Mars ever taken
EVEN though humans have never set foot on Mars, we've still got plenty of photos of the red planet. And if you went by those pics alone, you'd think the Martian surface was littered with mysterious faces, swarms of monstrous spiders, and even alien beings. Advertisement 15 This legendary Martian feature has been famous around the world since the 1970s Credit: NASA/JPL 15 It looks like a stone carving of a giant human (or even alien) face Credit: NASA/JPL Of course, Mars is just a barren wasteland – only occupied by camera-toting rovers shipped there from Earth. So why do we see all of these strange faces and figures on Mars? Well it's a phenomenon known as pareidolia, which is a human tendency to see patterns when there isn't one – and it's often to blame for those bizarre sightings on the red planet. Here are some of the creepiest "sightings" from our space neighbour, Mars. Advertisement Read more on Nasa CYDONIA 'FACE ON MARS' One of the most iconic Martian faces is from the Cydonia region. The feature was first captured in 1976, revealing a strikingly humanlike formation on the Martian surface. Early images of the region were snapped by Viking 1 and Viking 2, a pair of Nasa orbiters tasked with imaging Mars. It's since been captured in several later photographs, clearly exposing it as an optical illusion. Advertisement Most read in Science Sadly it's not a giant alien face at all – but a massive 1.2-mile-long Cydonian mesa. The region is known for its flat-topped mesas. SPACED OUT Stunning images of Mars surface revealed by Nasa BEAR WE GO 15 The giant face of a bear was captured on the Martian surface Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Forget Stonehenge – what about Advertisement That's what was seemingly snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on December 12, 2022. It looks like the face of an enormous grizzly, but it's actually just a weird hill, as Nasa explains: "A V-shaped collapse structure makes the nose, two craters form the eyes, and a circular fracture pattern shapes the head. "The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater." LEG IT! 15 Arachnophobes, look away now Credit: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS Advertisement 15 These strange spider-like formations aren't eight-legged critters – and that's very good news Credit: Nasa / JPL / MRO Several images of what look like The first was caught by the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter in October 2020, and the second was picked up by Nasa's MRO in May 2018. Thankfully they're not spiders at all – but a strange phenomenon called "araneiform terrain". Advertisement "This is an active seasonal process not seen on Earth," Nasa explained. "Like dry ice on Earth, the carbon dioxide ice on Mars sublimates as it warms (changes from solid to gas) and the gas becomes trapped below the surface. "Over time the trapped carbon dioxide gas builds in pressure and is eventually strong enough to break through the ice as a jet that erupts dust. "The gas is released into the atmosphere and darker dust may be deposited around the vent or transported by winds to produce streaks. Advertisement "The loss of the sublimated carbon dioxide leaves behind these spider-like features etched into the surface." LIVING ON A PRAYER 15 All the way to the far left of this image is what appears to be a Martian Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University 15 Look closely – can you see him? Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University (highlighted by The Sun) 15 The striking image appears to show a kneeling man Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University (cropped by The Sun) Advertisement In 2007, Nasa's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured what appeared to be a person kneeling in prayer. It made headlines around the world when the image was released in early 2008. The eerie scene was part of a vast panorama of Martian hills taken during the closing months of Spirit's mission. Of course, all we're actually seeing is an interesting rock, and a trick of the light. Advertisement GHANDI'S MARTIAN TWIN 15 Is this the face of Ghandi on Mars? Credit: ESA 15 Can you see any resemblance to Indian statesman and activist Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi? Credit: Getty - Contributor Pictures from Europe 's Mars Express probe appear to have captured a Ghandi lookalike on Mars. The Mars Orbiter has been used to pack out the Google Mars project with satellite-style snaps of the red planet. Advertisement And in 2011, Italian space fan Matteo Lanneo thought he spotted Ghandi's likeness on the surface. Of course, it's just another classic example of pareidolia, where we're simply seeing things that aren't really there. 15 Here's a better and higher-resolution snap of the spot captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which much more clearly shows a collapse pit rather than a hill Credit: ASU Mars Space Flight Facility MARTIAN DOORWAY 15 A panoramic image captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover shows a secret doorway Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Advertisement 15 Nasa used its data to create a measurement of the 'doorway' Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS 15 The space agency says it's just a common type of fracture Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS In mid-2022, Nasa captured The picture of the mound on Mount Sharp was snapped by Nasa's Curiosity Rover. Advertisement Sadly it's not really a doorway, as Nasa explains: "The mound, on Mount Sharp, has a number of naturally occurring open fractures – including one roughly 12 inches (30 centimeters) tall and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide, similar in size to a dog door. "These kinds of open fractures are common in bedrock, both on Earth and on Mars." 15 Mars is our closest neighbour – and is a strange and mysterious alien world still unexplored by humans Credit: Nasa
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The pursuit of truths: A letter on the boy who cried aliens (op-ed)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Adina Feinstein is a NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow/Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University. Darryl Z. Seligman is a National Science Foundation Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow/Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University. Scientists owe it to the general public to convey their results accurately and honestly. Over the last week, I — along with most of my astronomer and planetary scientist colleagues — received emails, texts, and phone calls from family, friends, and the media. Everyone was asking the same question: "Did we really find evidence of life on a planet outside of our own solar system?" This outpouring of communication was prompted by a recent article published by The New York Times entitled "Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet." The Astrophysical Journal Letters recently published an article entitled "New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18 b from JWST MIRI." The peer-reviewed article reported a detection — albeit at low statistical significance — of the presence of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS). DMS and DMDS can be produced both by living organisms (such as phytoplankton) or from run-of-the-mill chemical reactions that are not associated with life at all. However, the authors issued a press release only focused on aliens. If this news article was a wildfire spreading out of control, then every astronomer was a firefighter, desperately trying to minimize the damage spurred by the press release accompanying the paper. Why? Because the news article was exaggerated. Related: Did we actually find signs of alien life on K2-18b? 'We should expect some false alarms, and this may be one' This tale is not new to astronomers. In fact, it has played out over and over again: fossilized microbes were found on Mars (nope), an interstellar interloper was an alien spaceship (nope), and bacterial life exists in the clouds of Venus (to be tested), to name a few of our own wolves. As a collective, we can't resist anthropomorphizing the natural world. Many cultures thought there was a man in the moon, until we learned that his face was a series of craters. In 1976, the Viking 1 orbiter took a photo of a face on Mars, which turned out to be an optical illusion of shadows on a hill. These claims highlight the delicate balance between philosophy and science. In philosophy, we can conceptually explore our existence and place in the universe. In science, we need hard evidence. Since its foundation, NASA has been a constant source of support for the development and the launch of observatories designed to figure out if we are alone in the universe. We want to understand if terrestrial planets orbiting other distant stars could harbor life. In December 2021, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is dedicating hundreds of hours to observing these planets to determine whether or not they have atmospheres. We want to understand if Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean with more water than all of Earth's oceans combined hidden below its icy surface. In October 2024, NASA launched Europa Clipper, which will determine the thickness of this outer icy layer and characterize the Galilean moon's overall geology. We want to understand if Saturn's moon Titan has the proper composition to support prebiotic chemistry. In April 2024, NASA approved the Dragonfly mission, a car-sized nuclear-powered drone, to fly over and land on Titan with an estimated 2028 launch. Dragonfly will measure the composition of Titan up close and search for chemical signatures that could indicate the presence of life. All of these great observatories will help us to understand fundamental truths about celestial bodies. But if we want to answer one of humanity's oldest questions — are we alone? — then we have to be able to communicate our results. Our ability to trust real scientific discoveries is crumbling under the weight of those who want to be "the first," undermining the efforts of thousands of scientists and engineers pursuing truths with due diligence and following the rules of the scientific method we learned in elementary school. When people believe that we have found life on other planets when we have not, we've lost more than public trust — we've lost our own direction. Flying to Europa or Titan, and looking at the atmospheres of distant exoplanets, are no longer the subject of fantastical science fiction stories. These aren't dreams. This is all of our present-day reality, and even some of our day jobs. When we sit at our desks and analyze data from these observatories, we are inching toward the answer we want so badly. But over-sensationalizing at best — and even outright lying at worst — about the results of these observatories erodes public trust and ultimately harms the very institutions working in the pursuit of scientific discovery. This comes at a critical time, when the White House has proposed to slash NASA's science budget by nearly 50% and the National Science Foundation's (NSF) budget by up to 50%. Cutting these programs isn't just shortsighted — it's self-destructive. NASA and NSF fund science across all disciplines. Both agencies have long led and participated in global efforts to pursue scientific breakthroughs, like JWST. Related: The search for alien life Related stories: — Possible signs of alien life found on nearby exoplanet, study reports — Does exoplanet K2-18b host alien life or not? Here's why the debate continues — Trump administration could slash NASA science budget by 50%, reports suggest With these proposed budget cuts, we risk losing the scientists and engineers whose research is the foundation for future mission development. We risk losing the ability to support and train the next generation of scientists. We risk missing the very voices that could guide us through our most profound discoveries. We risk losing touch with our fundamental nature to ask and answer questions about our place in the universe. The search for life beyond Earth has been an ongoing endeavor since the first philosopher questioned if we are alone in the universe. It relies on our ability to connect astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and even philosophy, which initially paved the way for scientific thinking. From all of these angles, we will continue to pursue an answer to this age-old question. Yet, in our endeavor, we must remember that our mission is greater than the research of the individual. We must not stoop to using over-sensationalized results to support our own personal agendas. And, we must not forget our collective direction: the pursuit of truths and our responsibility to share these truths — and only these truths — with humanity.
