Astronomy
Mars Rover Lead Prof. Steve Squyres To Leave Cornell for Bezos’s Blue Origin
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Squyres will depart the University on Sept. 22 after over thirty years of teaching for a new voyage.
NASA
NASA InSight Lander Provides Weather Reports from the Red Planet
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The NASA InSight lander will be providing weather reports from Mars’ surface while it gathers seismological data about Mars’ interior.
Opinion
EDITORIAL: An Ode to Opportunity
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Ninety days. That’s all anyone expected to get out of Spirit and Opportunity, the twin rovers that first touched down on Mars in January of 2004. And yet, we are only just now saying goodbye to Opportunity, who lived for 90 days and then 5,262 more. The longevity of the Mars Exploration Rover project is a testament to the ingenuity, hard work and vision of the scientists, engineers, researchers and more who devoted themselves to expanding humanity’s knowledge of the universe. The rovers are also a crowning achievement for Cornell: The project’s principal investigator is Prof. Steven Squyres ’78 Ph.D. ’81, the James A. Weeks Professor of physical sciences.
Mars Rover
NASA Declares Death of Cornell-Led Opportunity Rover After 15 Years on Mars
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The rover was meant to last 90 days. Instead, it roamed the surface of Mars looking for signs of past life for over a decade longer.
mars
Cornell Research Associate on InSight Team Describes Awe of Mars Landing
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As a co-investigator of InSight’s science team, Banfield monitors weather data like Mars’ wind and temperature through the use of seismometers and other instruments attached to the spacecraft.
mars
New Research Shows Current Exploration Techniques Could Eradicate Life on Mars
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A new publication from visiting scientist Alberto Fairén shows that current exploration techniques of the red planet could destroy the organisms that have been able to survive its arid climate.
Science
Project Team Builds Mars Rover and Provides Interdisciplinary Experience
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With the attention that Mars has been getting, lately, a lot of people are now excited about the world of opportunities that it presents. However, even before the discovery of water on Mars in September 2015 or the release of the movie The Martian, a small group of students at Cornell have been working to prepare the next generation Mars rover which can work alongside humans on the planet. The Cornell Mars Rover team participates in the University Rover Challenge, which takes place on the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah. The competition encourages college students to design and build a rover that could be used in the field and rovers are tested on the basis of tasks that resemble what a mission from the future might look like. Cornell consistently performs well in the competition, according to John Draikiwicz ’17, the team’s engineering manager.
Science
NASA Scientist Mary Beth Wilhelm ’12 Aids Discovery of Water on Mars
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By KATHERINE QUINN
At the age of 25, not many people can say they are on track to receive a doctorate degree within a year. Fewer can say they are concurrently employed at NASA. And fewer still can say they discovered the evidence of water on Mars. Mary Beth Wilhelm ’12 is a Ph.D. candidate in Geological and Planetary Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology and a planetary scientist working for NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. In April, she and fellow scientists affiliated with NASA Ames published a paper of their discovery of hydrated salts on Mars, signifying the presence of contemporary water activity on the surface.
Science
Water on Mars: Does It Matter?
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By NOAH RANKIN
During a news conference Monday, NASA confirmed the discovery of liquid water on the surface of Mars, possibly hinting toward the possibility of life on the red planet, according to The New York Times. The Sun reached out to Prof. Alexander Hayes, astronomy, to get another take on what this means for further research and public opinion. What were your first thoughts upon hearing about the discovery? Were you expecting it? My first thought was: “Great!
Uncategorized
The Sun Speaks With Steve Squyres on Mars Missions
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The Sun spoke to Steven Squyres ’82, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy, on his experiences with the current Mars Exploration Rover Mission, and his thoughts on the Victoria Crater dilemma and the possibility of landing humans on the Red Planet. Squyres has been teaching astronomy at Cornell since 1986. He is also a principal investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, which has been ongoing since 2003. On Sept. 27, Opportunity finally reached Victoria Crater after an almost two year long journey.