Tag: Mars
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Reading a Rock for Ghosts: On Defining “Life” and Inferring It from Mars
NASA’s news release reports that Perseverance cored a mudstone in Jezero Crater whose chemistry and textures may record potential biosignatures—not proof of life, but suggestive clues. What follows are my thoughts about why, if we struggle to define “life” at all, the attempt to infer past life from such clues is far more complex—and why…
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Landing on Mars: No Chopsticks, No Problem! How Starship Will Stick the Landing Without a Red Carpet
Hey there, space enthusiasts and armchair astronauts! If you’ve ever watched a Falcon 9 rocket gracefully pirouette back to Earth and land on a drone ship like it’s no big deal, you might be scratching your head about SpaceX’s grander ambitions. I mean, the Starship— that gleaming stainless-steel behemoth designed to haul humanity to Mars—…
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The Hadamard Code: From Mars to Single-Pixel Cameras
Imagine it’s 1971, and you’re a scientist at NASA. You’ve just launched Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, and it’s sending back photos of Mars. But there’s a catch: the data has to travel millions of miles through space, and any interference could corrupt the images. How do you ensure those precious…
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Mars Weather Misconceptions: Debunking Hollywood Myths and Exploring Real Opportunities
Discover the truth about Martian weather in “The Martian.” Unravel Hollywood’s atmospheric misconceptions and explore real Mars conditions and opportunities.