Ingenuity Mars Helicopter down but definitely not out

Last January, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made its final flight with a landing that damaged at least one of its rotor blades and left it permanently grounded. But while it can no longer fly, it will continue to operate as a stationary Martian weather station. Ingenuity landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, under the belly of the … Read more

NASA pauses Mars sample return plan until a cheaper, faster one can be developed

NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth is on hold until there’s a faster, cheaper way, space agency officials said Monday. Retrieving Mars soil and rocks has been on NASA’s to-do list for decades, but the date kept moving forward, as costs ballooned. A recent independent review put the total cost at … Read more

Canadian Space Agency closing Ottawa spacecraft lab

Scientists surround the fine guidance sensor for the James Webb Space Telescope at the David Florida Laboratory in 2009. (Canadian Space Agency) The Canadian Space Agency has confirmed a west Ottawa spacecraft laboratory it calls “Canada’s national facility for spacecraft assembly [and] integration” is closing at the end of March 2025. The David Florida Laboratory officially … Read more

Getting to Devon Island in Canada’s Far North was so hard, it felt like traveling to the moon

I’ve been very fortunate as a documentary and adventure series filmmaker, having the opportunity to travel all over Canada and the world doing what I love. But my latest project sent me on a mission to a lunar landscape in Canada’s Far North — one of the most difficult places I’ve ever had to reach.  … Read more

This robotic, solar-powered plane might be NASA’s new way to explore Mars

Last week, the Ingenuity Mars helicopter made its final flight, far exceeding the expectations of a mission that began nearly three years ago. Now, NASA may be looking at a fixed-wing aircraft to hit the red planet’s skies next. In 2021 the Perseverance rover landed on Mars carrying a small helicopter under its belly named … Read more