Space Stories: Moss for Mars, Martian Space Rocks, and a Red Planet Practice Habitat

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): A detailed view of the Martian surface. (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)

Here are some recent Mars-related stories of interest.

—The Guardian: “Scientists Find Desert Moss ‘That Can Survive on Mars’”

While Matt Damon relied on potatoes cultivated in crew biowaste to survive in the hit film The Martian, researchers say it is a humble desert moss that might prove pivotal to establishing life on Mars. Scientists in China say they have found Syntrichia caninervis – a moss found in regions including Antarctica and the Mojave desert – is able to withstand Mars-like conditions, including drought, high levels of radiation and extreme cold.

—CNN: “Mars Gets Hit by Hundreds of Basketball-size Space Rocks Every Year“

Hundreds of basketball-size space rocks slam into Mars each year, leaving behind impact craters and causing rumblings across the red planet, according to new research. Mission planners could use the revelations, recorded in data collected by a now-retired NASA mission, as they determine where to land future robotic missions as well as astronaut crews on the red planet. NASA’s InSight mission ended when the stationary lander lost a battle to an accumulation of Martian dust on its solar panels in December 2022, but the wealth of data the spacecraft collected is still fueling new research.

—UPI: “Crew Inside NASA’s Mars Habitat Simulator to Exit After More Than a Year“

The first volunteer crew, to live for more than a year inside NASA’s Mars habitat at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, will exit the simulated Red Planet ground mission on Saturday…The crew entered CHAPEA on June 25, 2023, and enacted Mars mission operations, including virtual reality “Mars-walks” while growing and harvesting vegetables to supplement their shelf food. They also spent their time maintaining equipment while being tested with stressors, including isolation and communication delays with Earth.