Latest on Mars

The first British astronaut to go into space has claimed aliens exist and it is possible they are living among us on earth. © Getty British astronaut Dr Helen Sharman says aliens exist Speaking to the Observer Magazine, Dr Helen Sharman said "there's no two ways" that aliens exist. "There are so many billions of stars out there in the universe that there must be all sorts of different forms of life," she added. Dr Sharman said that although aliens may not be made up of carbon and nitrogen like humans, "it's possible they're here right now and we simply can't see them". The 56-year-old worked as a chemist before making history as the first British astronaut to participate in a mission to the Soviet modular space station Mir in May 1991. She also highlighted in the interview that she is often referred to as the first British woman in space, rather than simply the first Briton. "It's telling that we would ot

The Mars 2020 mission rover is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in July. But excitement is already starting to build for NASA’s $2.5-billion project, which will continue to explore the potential for life on the Red Planet. On Friday, more than 50 journalists from around the world donned protective suits, hoods and booties before entering the clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge to get a glimpse of the 7-foot high, 9-foot wide and 10-foot long robotic rover. Ben Riggs, a mechanical engineer working on the rover, said the vehicle will remain protected throughout its shipment to Cape Canaveral. “It’s always encased,” Riggs said. “When the vehicle gets moved, it gets on a flat truck bed that’s been specially modified to handle the vehicle. It’s normally stowed a little bit more compact and effectively double bagged.” JPL’s team of scientists and engineers take great measures each day to protect the rover from any organic particulates — h

America, Europe/Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates are going to Mars They are all launching in 2020 as Earth and Mars are best placed for a landing  Three of the missions will be searching for life on the surface of the Red Planet Richard Branson is also expected to fly to space on board a Virgin Galactic flight There are four major missions bound for Mars this year, with the USA, Europe, China and the United Arab Emirates all preparing to depart in the summer. The flurry of Martian launches are due to the fact that, in July 2020, Earth and Mars are ideally positioned relative to each other for spaceships to land. Three of the four missions will see rovers landing on the planet in search of ancient signs of life, the other mission will see a UAE-built orbiter study the atmosphere. There are hundreds of other space missions in 2020 not going to Mars, including the first commercially operated flights to the International Space Station.

The gestation period for NASA’s $2.5-billion baby is flying by. The Mars 2020 mission rover under construction behind the “clean room” doors of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in July. With the latest rover almost ready to explore the possibility of life on the Red Planet, more than 50 journalists from around the world donned protective suits, hoods and booties Friday, Dec. 27 to check out it out. Domestic and foreign reporters alike swabbed their recording instruments with isopropyl alcohol in preparation to see the to see the vehicle, which measures 7 feet high, 9 feet wide and 10 feet long, and to interview its creators before its transfer to Florida in late January. According to Ben Riggs, a mechanical engineer working on the rover, the vehicle will remain quarantined throughout its shipping process to Cape Canaveral, through its launch until its arrival on a planet scientists theorize may have hosted li