Destination: Mars

January 8, 2004

Explorer Felt the Pull of Mars

As a 21-year-old junior at Cornell University in 1977, Steve Squyres saw a notice for a course on Mars. It was as if the distant world was speaking to him.

January 6, 2004

Terrain of Mars Is Seen in High Relief

NASA's Spirit rover on Monday beamed back a three-dimensional, 360-degree view of its Gusev Crater landing site on Mars, a prelude to the more spectacular high-definition color images expected today.

January 5, 2004

Photos Show Mars Rover Hit 'Scientific Sweet Spot'

NASA's Spirit rover completed its first full day on Mars Sunday, sending back black-and-white pictures of its Gusev Crater landing site, the first of a stream of images that are eventually expected to reveal the Martian surface in unprecedented detail.

January 5, 2004

Man on a Mission Heads Rover Team

Peter C. Theisinger exudes Zen-like calm as he tackles one of the most demanding engineering jobs on Earth — leading NASA's twin missions to place robotic explorers on Mars.

June 24, 2003

2nd Mars Rover Launch Delayed

The launch of NASA's second Mars rover has been delayed until at least Saturday because of problems found in the cork insulation on the Delta II rocket that will ferry the unmanned craft into space.

June 6, 2003

Searching for Signs of a Wet Mars

When astronomer Percival Lowell gazed through his mountainside telescope at Mars a century ago, he saw cities, patches of vegetation and an intricate network of canals — features that seemed to indicate vast quantities of water.

March 2, 2003

THE NATION

Still Up in the Air About Where to Land on Mars

In a chandeliered ballroom at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Arcadia, a roomful of men and women are seeking the perfect piece of real estate but rejecting nearly everything they see.

February 20, 2004

Rovers Find Hints of Water in Soil Below Martian Surface

The first look beneath the Martian surface has shown that the soil composition changes dramatically with depth and hints that trace amounts of water have been present recently or may even be there now, researchers said Thursday.