Image (Credit): The New Glenn booster after it landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean. (Blue Origin)
Today’s image comes from Blue Origin, which successfully completed it second launch of it New Glenn rockets, sending two NASA Martian probes into orbit. The image shows the reusable rocket booster right after it landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
Congratulations to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, UC Berkeley, and all of our partners on the successful launch of ESCAPADE…This heliophysics mission will help reveal how Mars became a desert planet, and how solar eruptions affect the Martian surface. Every launch of New Glenn provides data that will be essential when we launch MK-1 through Artemis. All of this information will be critical to protect future NASA explorers and invaluable as we evaluate how to deliver on President Trump’s vision of planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars.
SpaceX now has another competitor for military and space missions, which is good for everyone (including SpaceX since it will keep them focused).
Image (Credit): Percival Lowell’s mausoleum just steps away from the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. (Atlas Obscura)
On this day in 1916, American astronomer Percival Lowell died at the age of 61 in Flagstaff, AZ. He will forever be remembered for his incorrect theory concerning canals on Mars as well as his better theory about a ninth planet, which contributed to the discovery of Pluto 14 years by Clyde Tombaugh, who was working at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.
Some interesting facts about Mr. Lowell’s life includes:
After graduating from Harvard with a degree in mathematics yet spent six years running a cotton mill;
He traveled extensively to Asia and wrote numerous books about the region;
He was a dedicated pacifist; and
His greatest contribution to astronomy related to the preferred placement of observatories.
Speculation has been singularly fruitful as to what these markings on our next to nearest neighbor in space may mean. Each astronomer holds a different pet theory on the subject, and pooh-poohs those of all the others. Nevertheless, the most self-evident explanation from the markings themselves is probably the true one; namely, that in them we are looking upon the result of the work of some sort of intelligent beings. . . . The amazing blue network on Mars hints that one planet besides our own is actually inhabited now.
Now when we think that each of these stars is probably the centre of a solar system grander than our own, we cannot seriously take ourselves to be the only minds in it all.
If you are looking for a new book to read, you might want to check out The Giant Leap by Caleb Scharf, who is director of astrobiology at Columbia University and the senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA’s Ames Research Center.
Here is a quick blurb from the publisher:
The story of life has always been one of great transitions, of crossing new frontiers. The dawn of life itself is one; so, too, is the first time two cells stuck together rather than drifting apart. And perhaps most dramatic were the moves from the sea to land, land to air. Each transition has witnessed wild storms of innovation, opportunity, and hazard. It might seem that there are no more realms for life to venture. But there is one: space.
In The Giant Leap, astrobiologist Caleb Scharf argues that our journey into space isn’t simply a giant leap for humankind—it’s life’s next great transition, an evolution of evolution itself. Humans and our technology are catalysts for an interplanetary transformation, marking a disruption in the story of life as fundamental as life’s movement from sea to land, and land to sky.
Inspired by Darwin’s account of his journey on the Beagle, and packed with stories from the past, present, and future of space travel, The Giant Leap thrills at both life’s creativity and the marvels of technology that have propelled us into the cosmos. And it offers an awesome glimpse of the grander vistas that wait in the great beyond.
Scientific American magazine interviewed the author to learn more about his views. One of the questions related to settling on Mars, which the author did not view as a best option for expanding outward into our Solar System:
We definitely need to study Mars and the moon, and maybe some of us should even try to live there. I mean, there’s all sorts of genuine reasons for doing that. But in the long term, it’s far better to engineer what you really need—to create environments that place fewer stressors on life that evolved on Earth over four billion years. Even if you build fabulous habitats on the moon or Mars, you’ll never have Earth-normal gravity in those places, for example.
Whether you make use of a natural object such as an asteroid or just construct an entirely artificial habitat out there, both would give you far more options than a planetary surface. You can spin your habitat to get Earth-like artificial gravity; you can engineer a lovely atmosphere that precisely fits our biological needs. You can set up seasons, choose where to orbit and have robust protection from cosmic radiation.
The interview covers a range of questions that delve into parts of the book. You may want to start with the interview before deciding to go further. It is a great launching point.
Image (Credit): Artist’s rending of the two EscaPADE probems approaching Mars. (NASA)
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is scheduled to be launched tomorrow afternoon with two Martian probes on board. A lot is riding on tomorrow’s launch. The mission is important for Blue Origin, as it tests its new rocket with its first real mission. It is also important to NASA, which is using the probes to better understand the Martian atmosphere.
Blue Origin’s reusable New Glenn rocket will put it in direct competition with SpaceX for future NASA missions. This redundancy is needed, particularly with SpaceX seeming to struggle with its projects related to the Atemis lunar mission.
The $100 million Martian mission, called Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE), involves a pair of identical spacecraft with a the goal of analyzing:
how Mars’ magnetic field guides particle flows around the planet,
how energy and momentum are transported from the solar wind through the magnetosphere, and
what processes control the flow of energy and matter into and out of the Martian atmosphere.
The two probes will be launched towards Lagrange Point 2, where they will sit for more than a year before making an approach towards Mars. The probes are expected to go into orbit around Mars in September 2027.
Image (Credit): Sci-fi panel discussion at the International Mars Society Convention. (Mars Society)
If you were unable to attend the 2025 International Mars Society Convention earlier this month in California, you can still get a taste of the event. The Mars Society has posted a one-hour video with highlights from the various presentations listed below:
Dr. Robert Zubrin, Mars Society Founder & President – An abbreviated version of his stirring Day 1 keynote talk, setting the tone for humanity’s journey to Mars.
Conference Introduction – An overview of the weekend’s groundbreaking discussions, from science and technology to policy and advocacy.
Hoppy Price (NASA JPL) – Concepts for Future Robotic Mars Exploration Missions, including an engaging Q&A on Mars Sample Return and next-generation rover systems.
David Malott, Founder & CEO, SpaceFactory.AI – Inside the award-winning Mars habitat design and its real-world implications for sustainable living beyond Earth.
Dr. Erika DeBenedictis, Pioneer Labs – A Path to Green Mars, exploring how synthetic biology and systems thinking can transform the Red Planet into a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem.
Dr. Vicky Hamilton, MEPAG Chair – The Future of Mars Exploration, connecting today’s missions to tomorrow’s scientific frontiers.
Dr. Abigail Fraeman, Deputy Project Scientist, NASA’s Curiosity Rover – Mars Through the Eyes of Curiosity: 13 Years of Adventure, reflecting on discoveries from Gale Crater and what’s next.
It certainly isn’t the same as being there, but it gives you some background on what was discussed. You can also view the program guide for the convention at this link.
And should you want to hear more, try this video from another conference that Dr. Robert Zubrin recently attended -the 2025 New Worlds Conference in Austin. Dr. Zubrin spoke about the drive to explore and settle space.
Our Awesome Universe 