Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Mars

A shell that protected the Perseverance rover during its descent to Mars in a clean room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

This Microscopic Fungus Survived NASA’s Sterilization Protocols—and Is Potentially Hardy Enough to Contaminate Mars

The microbe was gathered from the agency’s clean rooms, where experts build spacecraft in carefully controlled environments. The findings reveal gaps in the agency’s procedures to prevent durable hitchhikers

Curiosity had a 28.6-pound rock dubbed "Atacama" stuck to its arm for a while.

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Had a Martian Rock Stuck on Its Arm for Days. Watch It Finally Shake the Stubborn Stone Off

While drilling has fractured rocks, this is the first time the instrument has ever accidentally pulled a whole chunk from the ground, according to the space agency

After drilling a rock sample from a spot on Mars nicknamed “Mary Anning,” NASA’s Curiosity rover took this selfie on October 25, 2020. Now, that sample has revealed organic molecules that have never been seen on the red planet before.

A Mars Rover Found Building Blocks of Life Never Seen on the Red Planet Before, Boosting the Case for Ancient Habitability

The organic molecules discovered by NASA’s Curiosity rover could have been formed by life, but they could have also come from geologic processes or meteorites

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke on January 15, when SpaceX Crew-11 splashed down, roughly one month ahead of schedule.

An Astronaut’s Sudden Inability to Speak Prompted the ISS’s First Medical Evacuation. Doctors Still Don’t Know What Caused the Issue

The individual who fell ill, NASA’s Mike Fincke, says the medical team is almost certain that the issue was related to being in space

Male reproductive cells, sperm, might struggle to reach and fertilize female reproductive cells, eggs, in microgravity, according to a new study.

Humans Might Struggle to Make Babies in Space. Sperm Gets Disoriented in Microgravity, a New Study Suggests

Simulated near-weightless conditions reduced human sperm’s navigational abilities

Mars' surface as captured by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in 2023. The agency's new Mars helicopters will be modeled on this device.

NASA Aims to Launch the World’s First Planet-Hopping Spacecraft Powered by Nuclear Fission

The agency wants the mission to head to Mars by the end of 2028

The researchers used sound waves to levitate tiny glass spheres as part of their study. 

Scientists Make a Major Breakthrough in Solving a Hair-Raising Mystery About Static Electricity

The findings can help explain the physics behind phenomena like volcanic lightning

The mice spent about a month aboard the International Space Station.

These Space-Faring Mice Are Helping Scientists Figure Out How to Keep Astronauts’ Muscles Working Properly

A new study suggests a gravity threshold for maintaining muscle function

The Valles Marineris canyon system, where the scientists focused their study

Three Billion Years Ago, Mars May Have Been Half Covered by a Sea the Size of the Arctic Ocean

Data from several probes studying the Red Planet helped geologists map what seems to be an ancient coastline

An artistic illustration of the MAVEN orbiter and Mars

NASA to Resume Search for Missing Mars Orbiter, but Prospects of Re-establishing Communication With It Seem Slim

Scientists haven’t heard from the MAVEN orbiter since December 6. It had been studying the Martian atmosphere for over a decade

Time passes by faster on Mars than on Earth.

How to Keep Time on Mars: Clocks on the Red Planet Would Tick a Bit Differently Than Those on Earth

On average, Martian time ticks roughly 477 millionths of a second faster than terrestrial clocks per Earth day. But the Red Planet’s elongated orbit causes the time difference to vary as Mars travels around the sun

Mars regularly experiences dust storms, like this one captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2012. Scientists say they found evidence of "mini lightning" during some of these storms.

Scientists Say These Small Electrical Discharges May Be the First Direct Evidence of Lightning on Mars

Rather than big bolts of lightning as seen on Earth, NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded audio of small zaps similar to those from static electricity

This image was captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in October. 

More Than a Dozen NASA Spacecraft Have Glimpsed Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS. Now, You Can View New Images That They Captured

The space agency got a close look at the interstellar visitor over the past few months as it zipped by Mars and the sun

The European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured images of 3I/ATLAS on October 3.

A Rare Interstellar Comet Just Flew by Mars—Here Are the Photos Captured by an Orbiting Spacecraft

The images offer the closest view yet of comet 3I/ATLAS, famous for being only the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system

Seismic data from marsquakes provide insight into the Red Planet's interior.

How Marsquakes Have Helped Researchers Investigate the Depths of the Red Planet’s Interior

Two recent studies used seismic data from NASA’s retired InSight mission to shed light on what lies beneath Mars’ surface and what it means for the planet’s history

The Perseverance rover sampled Cheyava Falls, a rock with "leopard spots," on Mars last year.

NASA Discovers ‘Clearest Sign’ Yet of Ancient Life on Mars in a Rock Studied by the Perseverance Rover

Minerals in the rock might have been produced by microbes in chemical reactions, but researchers say they’ll need to examine the sample more closely to know for sure

The Perseid meteor shower in 2023. Although the prolific shower is not currently at its peak, astronomers recommend catching a glimpse before the moon gets too bright.

How to Watch This Week’s Stunning Dual Meteor Shower and More Upcoming Celestial Events

You can catch meteor showers and a special lunar display early this week, and keep an eye out for the popular Perseids

Discovered in Niger in 2023, NWA 16788 weighs 54 pounds.

The Largest Martian Meteorite in the World Is Heading to Auction and Could Sell for $4 Million

Discovered in Niger in 2023, the rare chunk weighs 54 pounds and represents more than 6 percent of all Mars material on Earth

An artistic rendering of the Odyssey spacecraft in orbit over Mars. 

NASA Spacecraft Orbiting Mars Captures Image of Giant Ancient Volcano Just Before Dawn

The perspective is what astronauts would see out their window if there was an International Space Station flying around the red planet

The sun launched a powerful solar flare on May 14, 2025, captured here by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Sun Launches Its Strongest Solar Flare of the Year So Far, Causing Radio Blackouts Around the World

The new sunspot responsible for this powerful blast is rotating into view, which could bring more solar activity—and potential aurora-causing coronal mass ejections—to Earth in the coming days

Page 1 of 15