Category Archives: Mars

This illustration shows MMX in orbit around Mars with the moon Phobos in view.

Most of us on Earth are still coming to grips with 4K video and images, much less insanely high resolution 8K ones. Hopefully, we'll all have the gear to properly see the eye-popping views expected from Japan's futureMartian Moons Exploration(MMX) mission.

Japan's space agency JAXA announced last weekit's working with Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) to develop a "Super Hi-Vision Camera" that can capture 4K and 8K images from Mars.

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MMX is already an ambitious projectaimed at studying the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos, as well as Mars itself. The spacecraft is designed to land on Phobos, gather up a surface sample and bring it back to Earth.

JAXA and NHK are thinking through the hurdles of sending large amounts of data back to Earth and have hit on a solution. "Images taken at regular intervals are partially transmitted to Earth to create a smooth image," JAXA said in a statement. "The original image data is planned to be stored in a recording device in MMX's return capsule and brought back to Earth."

By combining high-def images with the spacecraft's flight data, JAXA and NHK will be able to show the spacecraft's journey in unprecedented detail. Imagine a view of Mars rising behind the craggy lumps of Phobos.

MMX is aiming for a 2024 launch. We'll have to wait a bit to experience the full 8K glory of Mars, but it will be worth it.

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8K views of Mars on the menu for Martian moon mission spacecraft - CNET

Recently, SpaceXs Elon MuskElon Reeve MuskWould becoming one of the first people to settle Mars be worth dying for? Hillicon Valley: Twitter flags Trump campaign tweet of Biden clip as manipulated media | Democrats demand in-person election security briefings resume | Proposed rules to protect power grid raise concerns Apple, Tesla stock splits surge market caps MORE addressed the Humans to Mars conference, during which he waxed eloquent about how his Starship interplanetary spacecraft was proceeding along. It is no secret that Musk is building this monster spaceship to facilitate his long-held dream to establish a settlement on the planet Mars. CNBC reports that Musk has a cautionary note for people who might want to join in on the project.

I want to emphasize that this is a very hard and dangerous, difficult thing, not for the faint of heart. Good chance youll die, its going to be tough going, but it will be pretty glorious if it works out.

Death or glory or maybe both. Those are the choices that Musk is offering prospective future Mars settlers. With the Starships development proceeding apace in Boca Chica, Texas, that choice may be available to a lot of people sooner than most think. The idea of a Mars settlement may have been science fiction up until now. But Elon Musk has developed the habit of making science fiction reality.

Humans who visit Mars can die in a wide variety of ways. Radiation, lack of a breathable atmosphere and extreme cold are just a few of the conditions that can shorten a life if they are not adequately protected against.

The effects of low gravity on humans long-term health are not well understood. While, thanks to the International Space Station, we know a lot about what microgravity does to the human body, the longest time anyone has spent in a low-gravity environment was three days during the last few Apollo missions.

The psychological effects of living long term in a hostile environment are little understood but must be considered. One study of the mental health issues of researchers living at an Antarctic base suggests that depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment and irritability can result. People who stay at the bottom of the world are a few hours plane trip to New Zealand. People who move to Mars will be 100 million miles from the home where they grew up and to which they will be unlikely to ever return.

If all of the above gives the reader pause, perhaps he or she is not cut out to be in the first generation of Martians. However, if instead these dangers seem more like challenges to be overcome, then those people with that attitude just might have the pioneer spirit to cross the interplanetary gulfs and make a new life in a new world.

Incidentally, prospective Mars colonists will tend to have skill sets that do not require a Phd in the STEM fields or a military test pilot career, which are among the qualifications to be a NASA astronaut. Mars will need electricians, mechanics, miners, fabricators, plumbers and other people who would be classified as blue collar here on Earth. Someone will have to maintain the machinery that will keep Mars settlers alive. People who start that new branch of human civilization, as Robert Zubrin has said, will have to be tough, self-reliant and innovative.

Why would anyone want to leave a world of green hills and blue, flowing water for one that features frigid, arid deserts blasted by radiation with no surface water or breathable air? Glory and adventure may be part of it, but there must be something more.

Perhaps the allure of Mars will be an opportunity to build a new kind of society. Even the United States, a country founded on the idea of freedom and tolerance, has become increasingly bureaucratic and filled with people who would just as soon break your head open rather than peacefully debate political issues if they disagree with you.

Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth, even considering the need for everyone to be focused on sheer survival? Maybe. But one thing is certain, if Elon Musk is one of the settlers, he will have to step back from power and resist the temptation to be a benevolent dictator. Musk seems to recognize that fact because he envisions a Mars settlement being governed as a direct democracy, like an Ancient Greek polis. Backed up by a sensible and enforceable constitution, that would be an interesting experiment in how humans can govern themselves, worth perhaps the risk of death to participate in.

Mark Whittington, who writes frequently about space and politics, has published a political study of space exploration entitled Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? as well as The Moon, Mars and Beyond. He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. He is published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, USA Today, the LA Times, and the Washington Post, among other venues.

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Would becoming one of the first people to settle Mars be worth dying for? | TheHill - The Hill

Mars has been visible in the morning sky through the summer, but now it is getting ready for its close approach to Earth next month.

This years appearance of Mars might actually be better than its closest approach in 2018. At that point, the planet was low in the sky, which made for poor viewing conditions. Also, Mars experienced a major dust storm. There was so much dust in the atmosphere that much of the surface detail we would ordinarily see was rendered invisible for months. The storm was so intense that NASAs solar powered Mars rover, Opportunity, shut down and was lost.

This time, the planet is not as close, but much higher in the sky, which will make for better viewing in a telescope. The planet is currently 41.5 million miles away from us. You will be able to see Mars coming up in the east around 10 p.m. It will be in the constellation Pisces, the fish. It will be near the bottom of the V shape that makes up the body of the fish. It is quite brilliant now at magnitude -2, so it will be brighter than the stars.

After 11 p.m., youll get a better view as the planet rises up into the sky. It will be at its highest point in the south (56 degrees) around 3 a.m. You can follow it all the way until dawn when youll see it starting to go down in the west.

A telescope with a magnification power of 75x to 100x will be necessary to get a view of any details. You can look for dark, dusky markings on the Martian surface. One of the ice caps is often visible as a bright spot at the south pole.

If you are interested in Jupiter and Saturn, which are now visible in the southern sky, the Newark Museum of Art will feature these two gas giants on Sept. 15 during a free monthly Ask an Astronomer program. To register, visit NMOA at HOME.

Kevin D. Conod is the planetarium manager and astronomer at The Newark Museum of Arts Dreyfuss Planetarium. For updates on the night sky, call the Newark Skyline at (973) 596-6529.

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Jersey Skies: Viewing the 'dusky' details of Mars as it makes close approach to Earth - Jersey's Best

A composite photo was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s. (NASA via AP, File)

The red god of war, Mars, will be closing in on the Earth in the next few weeks.

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and one which goes around the sun in a period of 687 Earth days.

The second smallest of the major planets, Mars has a diameter of 4,220 miles along with seasons like that of Earth.

Those seasons on Mars are brutal, with temperatures which go down to minus 220 degrees and can rise to nearly 60 degrees in the short heat of summer.

The average temperature on Mars is minus 81 degrees, as opposed to the average temperature on Earth, a cool 57 degrees.

Mars has always been a planet which has stirred the imagination with thoughts of possible life or intelligent beings on the surface.

These ideas came about from observers with large telescopes, as they observed polar ice caps, large land masses and a possible network of canals.

Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli observed Mars in 1877 and thought that he noticed some type of lines or canali crossing the surface.

That was followed by Percival Lowell, who founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.

Lowell observed Mars in the first part of the 20th century and claimed to have observed the same thing, adding fuel to the fire of possible intelligent life on Mars.

We now know that Mars is a barren desert with an atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide.

The poles of Mars are made up of water ice and frozen carbon dioxide and change with the seasons.

We here in Arizona have an amazing opportunity to view Mars as it is now getting closer and closer to us in September and October.

Here is your guide to observing the planet and enjoying this rare event.

Mars will be closing in on Earth and be at its best, opposition as we call it, Oct. 13. At that time, Mars will be within 38 million miles of Earth and in our Arizona skies all night.

Here is a compilation of the entire 2020 Mars event.

Here is the path that Mars will take in our Arizona skies:

From the chart above, Mars will perform an amazing maneuver beginning Sept. 9 and last until nearly mid-November.

Mars will begin a retrograde motion against the fixed stars.

Retrograde motion is when a planet moves to the west against the background stars, as opposed to the normal eastward motion against the stars.

This happens as the Earth, in a closer obit than Mars, overtakes Mars in its journey around the sun.

The illusion is that Mars appears to track in the opposite direction in the sky.

Opposition of Mars takes place in the middle of the retrograde path, that being the night of Oct. 13.

Right now, Mars rises in the east around 9 p.m. Arizona local time.

Mars is brighter than any of the fixed stars in the sky and will get brighter over the next few weeks.

Right now, the visual magnitude of Mars is -2.0, which is very bright to the naked eye.

Mars is now some 43 million miles from us in Arizona and just a short 3 minute and 54 second trip at light speed!

As mentioned above, Arizona has a rich history in the observation of Mars and Mars research. This is a great time to help educate the public on this most amazing story.

More details on the Mars 2020 opposition can be found here.

To help you keep up with what other observers are seeing when it comes to Mars, here is one of the best sites with actual images sent in by observers.

Here is the classic site for those that are regular observers of the planets.

The last part of the story of Mars 2020 is the fact that Mars has some of the most powerful dust storms of any planet.

These dust storms may become global in intensity and can obscure the entire planet when close to Earth.

Mars was nearest to the sun Aug. 3 and only time will tell what may happen here!

To understand the nature of Martian dust storms, we offer up this.

Finally, here is the telescopic view of Mars from Earth, during the 2020 apparition.

To print your own monthly star chart, click here.

To view satellites/dates/times of passage, click here.

Listen to the Dr. Sky Show on KTAR News 92.3 FM on Saturdays at 3 a.m.

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Here is your 2020 Mars observation guide for Arizona - KTAR.com

Most recently, Dr. Velissariou served as the chief science and technology officer at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), where she oversaw science, technology, and policy strategies, advocated for the science of food, and partnered with stakeholders across industry, academia, government, and non-profits to advance the food system.

Prior to her role at IFT, Dr.Velissariouserved in global corporate roles including VP nutrition R&D at PepsiCo, and various R&D positions at Kraft Foods in theircoffee, refreshment beverages, cheese and dairy, and ingredient research segments.

"With global population growth and increase of supply chain complexities, I'm motivated by the legacy of resource, reach, and commitment of Mars to make a meaningful impact on the food industry,"said Dr.Velissariou.

Dr. Velissariou will report intoJean-Christophe Flatin, president of innovation, science, technology at Mars Edge (a business within Mars founded in 2017 focused on health and wellness through targeted nutrition)and will partner with the existing Mars chief science officer and vice president of corporate R&D,David Crean, as he transitions to retirement inApril 2021.

Crean, who has been with Mars for 34 years, is credited withdeveloping novel analytical techniques, establishing global technology and research platforms, as well as developing many product and business innovations.

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Mars hires former IFT chief science and technology officer as new head of R&D - FoodNavigator-USA.com

At about 11 a.m., the sky around San Francisco appeared to have gotten darker, and the sun still was not visible behind the smoke.

Large areas of California have burned for weeks as fires consumed 2.3 million acres, or 20 times what burned all of last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. In Washington state, wildfires virtually wiped out an entire small town Tuesday. In Oregon, thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes Wednesday after fires broke out across the state, The Oregonian reported.

Smoke-filled skies added to the fear and tension even for residents whose homes arent immediately threatened. Some said it looked like another planet; others like nuclear winter.

Much of the West Coast is choking on a thick veil of smoke as historic wildfires rage across the region. Images captured Wednesday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations GOES-17 satellite demonstrate just how widespread the smoke has become. The images, processed by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University, show much of California and western Oregon shrouded in intense, billowing smoke.

This morning I woke up at 7 a.m. and thought my alarm was wrong because it was so dark, said Kelly Groth, who lives in San Francisco. I didnt smell smoke but had a feeling the fires were affecting the atmosphere. I pulled back my curtains to see the sky was dark orange, and it felt so apocalyptic. Ive lived in the Bay Area my whole life and never seen anything like it.

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'Like a scene from Mars': Skies in parts of California turn orange as wildfires rage - NBC News

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) have teamed up to develop a Super Hi-Vision Camera for JAXAs Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission that will take the first 8K ultra-high-definition images in orbit around the Red Planet.

Space mission imaging has come a long way since the first grainy television images were sent back from lunar orbit in the 1960s. Today, 4K videos stream from the International Space Station (ISS), and even deep space missions like Japan's Hayabusa2 asteroid landing mission have gone high-definition. Aside from producing breathtaking pictures, these have become increasingly powerful tools for space exploration.

Now, JAXA and NHK plan to develop an 8K "Super Hi-Vision Camera" for the space agency's MMX mission, which is scheduled to launch in 2024. Slated to take one year to reach Mars, the unmanned mission will go into orbit around the planet to study the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos. It will also go into a quasi-satellite orbit (QSO) around the Martian moon Phobos, which is not a true orbit around the moon, but rather one that allows it to remain close to it over many orbits. From there, the probe will conduct observations and land and collect samples from the Phobos's surface for return to Earth in 2029.

The hope is that MMX will not only shed light on how the Martian moons formed and evolved, but also serve as a way to test new technologies to aid later planetary missions involving sample collections and return to Earth.

Being built by NHK, the Super Hi-Vision Camera will capture 4K and 8K images, which will be only partially transmitted to Earth. Because of the large file sizes, the complete images won't be available until the complete image data is brought back to Earth stored in a recording device in the return capsule.

The end result will be a digital recreation of the mission with a detail not previously possible.

The video below outlines the MMX mission.

Source: JAXA

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JAXA's MMX mission will capture Mars and its moons in 8K - New Atlas

With Earth, Mars and the Belt still at odds, The Expanse season 5 has many potential villains. As usual, however, the situation is more complex.

Who might the real villain be inThe Expanse season 5? The political climate of the Sol system inThe Expanse's science fiction worldis far from simple.Withhumankind spread across Earth's neighbors, deep divisions have formed between the blueplanet and the powerful new force of Mars, who no longer see themselves asmere colonists.Away from the system's two big settlements, many reside on asteroids and other smaller celestial bodies. Known as Belters, these citizens have their own distinct culture but live very hard lives, taking a dim view of both Earth and Mars for exploiting their proud population.

Over the past 4 seasons ofThe Expanse, relations between these 3 sides haveimproved somewhat thanks to the efforts of James Holden's Rocinante crew, Earth's Chrisjen Avasarala, Mars' Bobbie Draper, and the Belt's Fred Johnson, among others. Officially, all 3 sides are now supposed to be on the same page, working together to investigate the mysterious Protomolecule. In reality, however, the wounds of division are yet to heal. A group of Belter extremists calling themselves the Free Navy have emerged, led by the cunning and charismatic Marco Inaros.Marco's actionswould seem to suggest Belters will be the villains inThe Expanse season 5, but the situation is more nuanced than that.

Related:The Expanse: What The Rocinante's Name Reveals About Holden & Miller

The Expanse season 4 revealed that Marco was being armed by high-ranking figures on Mars, who were siphoning disused weapons to the Free Navy. Bobbie and Chrisjen will be exploring this conspiracy whenThe Expanse returns, but it's safe to assume that getting into bed withInaros isn't the official position of the Mars government. The smuggled weapons more likelycome from ahandful of disgruntled but powerful schemers in the Martian hierarchy. As such, are the villains ofThe Expanse season 5 a coalition between Belters and Martians? That statement sits closer to the truth, but doesn't quite represent what's truly happening inThe Expanse.

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The Expanse Season 5: Earth, Mars or Belters - Who the Real Villain Is - Screen Rant

DALLAS Frank Frazettas The Princess of Mars sold for $1.2 million, includng premium, at Heritage Auctions September 10-13 Comics & Comic Art sale. The firm called it one of the most identifiable and influential pieces of the artists stories career.

The auction house said, The painting was one of two Frazetta made for the cover of Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars, which Doubleday republished as hardback in 1970. Frazetta sent the first take to the publisher, and was so enamored and proud of the piece, he immediately began painting another for his own collection, which remained with the family following his death in 2010. It was clear how much Frazetta adored the piece because of the small details included in the second version not visible in the first. Friends and family said Frazetta liked the second painting better than the one filling fantasy readers bookshelves.

More than 600 people were watching the lot on the auction houses platform as it made its way to the final price. It is the third highest auction result for the artist and all have been set with Heritage Auctions. Watch for a full review in a future issue.

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Frazetta's 'The Princess Of Mars' Leads Heritage Auctions' Comics & Comic Art Sale - Antiques and the Arts Online

For those of you who fondly remember the campy, hilarious 1996 sci-fi film Mars Attacks!, starring Jack Nicholson, you may be interested to know that we are fast approaching the best opportunity to observe the red planet in our night sky since 2018.

And while this close approach of Mars wont include murderous bug-eyed aliens who wear their basketball-sized brains on the outside of their heads, it will allow even the most casual observer to be completely dazzled by how remarkably bright and colorful the planet will appeareven without a telescope or binoculars.

The close approach itself (or opposition), will take place on October 6. That evening, about an hour or two after sunset, youll see Mars shining like an orange-red searchlight low in the eastern sky. On average, the planet lies about 139 million miles from us, but on the night of the close approach it will be only 38.5 million miles from the Earth. If the skies are clear, it will be impossible to miss.

Over the course of that evening, Mars will climb higher and higher, until around 2 a.m., when it will be a bright, colorful beacon, high overhead in the southern sky before starting its slow descent, finally setting in the west shortly before sunrise the following morning.

And if its cloudy or raining? Dont worry! Although the best night to observe will be October 6, the fact is that for a few weeks both before and after that date, Mars will still be remarkably close and bright. As with many things astronomical, it wont suddenly appear or disappear; it will do both, gradually over time.

If you do happen to have a small telescope, this is a great time to take it out. Normally, Mars is so far away that even with a scope, its tough to see any kind of detail. But for the days and weeks leading up to and following this planetary opposition, youll find that even a small instrument may reveal some Martian featuresincluding its polar ice cap.

If it were not for Covid-19, members of the Local Group of Deep Sky Observers would set up telescopes for public observing, but in the interest of public health and safety, there is no observation event scheduled at this time.

Jonathan Sabin is the president of the Local Group of Deep Sky Observers, a club founded in 1983 for astronomy enthusiasts in the Sarasota-Manatee area. For more information, visit http://www.LGDSO.com.

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Mars Will Make Its Closest Appearance Since 2018 Next Month - Sarasota