NASA announced news activities for Mars landing which started on August 2. The series of news briefings from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, will give you all the information you need on the upcoming landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars. The landing is scheduled for August 5. Goals and objectives (from Wikipedia): Cruise stage configuration of MSLThe MSL mission has four scientific goals: Determine the landing site’s habitability including the role of water, the study of the climate and the geology of Mars. It is also useful preparation for a future manned mission to Mars. To contribute to these goals, MSL has six main scientific objectives: 1.Determine the mineralogical composition of the Martian surface and near-surface geological materials. 2.Attempt to detect chemical building blocks of life (biosignatures). 3.Interpret the processes that have formed and modified rocks and soils. 4.Assess long-timescale (i.e., 4-billion-year) Martian atmospheric evolution processes. 5.Determine present state, distribution, and cycling of water and carbon dioxide. 6.Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation, including galactic radiation, cosmic radiation, solar proton events and secondary neutrons. As part of its exploration, it also measured the radiation exposure in the interior of the spacecraft as it traveled to Mars, and it is continuing…

Universe Today knows how to catch my attention: Latest from Mars: Massive Polar Ice Cliffs, Northern Dunes, Gullied Craters. The HiRISE scientists monitor these regions to help in understand the climatic record stored in the ice sheet itself. Several gorgeous images are in this week’s update from the HiRISE camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This lovely image shows the cliffs at the edges of huge ice sheet at the North Pole of Mars. These cliffs are about 800 meters (2,600 feet) high, and the ice sheet is several kilometers thick at its center. This is a great spot to look for ice avalanches that HiRISE has captured previously. The HiRISE team said that the slopes of these cliffs are almost vertical, plus dense networks of cracks cover the icy cliff faces making it easier for material to break free. The team regularly monitors sites like this to check for new blocks that have fallen. You can look for yourself to see if any avalanches have occurred since the last image was taken of this area, almost exactly one Martian year ago. Go to the HiRISE website to see all the amazing images from Mars! Below: Light-Toned and Possible Hydrated…