Last we checked in with NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander, it had just discovered ice below the martian surface. Now, after multiple tests on the martian soil, scientists have discovered that the dirt-like substance contains alkaline. It’s been deemed friendly enough to support plant life both in “past, present and future.”

So the next time you want to plant some asparagus or green beans, consider martian soil. It’s rich, it’s creamy and it’s full of nutrients to support plant life. Just don’t try growing anything on Mars. The atmosphere has decayed enough that the surface is constantly bombarded by UV rays, thus killing any chance of that tomato bush you were hoping to plant.

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Scientists at NASA believe they’ve finally discovered ice on Mars. Recently, the Phoenix Mars Lander started collecting soil samples from the surface of the planet. After a few backhoe scoops, a white, glistening material was revealed. Scientists couldn’t figure out if it was ice or not but four days after it was uncovered, it vanished. The theory? It’s ice and it’s evaporating after being exposed.

What does this mean for us? It means Mars could, at some point in time, become a place for us to live. It also leaves us fucked if there was some monster living in a dormant state of rest underneath the ice. We’ll have to kick back and watch I suppose.

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Almost like the movie “Sunshine,” we’ll soon be probing the Sun, except we wont be using a suicide squad of top scientists and astronauts. NASA has decided to finally go to the sun after 400 years of studying the star from afar. The mission is being called Solar Probe+ (pronounced ‘Solar Prove Plus’).

We’ll be using a heat-resistant spacecraft made specifically to dive into the Sun’s atmosphere.  For the first time ever we plan to visit a living, breathing star.  The project could go through as early as 2015 and is said to take several years to complete. With this stellar project, we’ll be able to solve two great mysteries of astrophysics and make many new discoveries during the mission.
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Heard about NASA’s latest endeavor but haven’t had a chance to check out the pictures or read about it? No worries. I’ve got ya covered. Here’s a quick roundup on various coverage of NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander:

Our country is in dire need of a true patriot. One that can lie tilted in a bed for a 90-day period without moving off it whatsoever. That’s right, NASA is looking for its latest guinea pig so it can measure the effects of microgravity on the human body. Having to stay in bed for so long could prove to be a literal pain in the ass but the pay might be worth it.

How about it? You’ll be giving astronauts a helping hand and scoring $17,000 if you can stick it out for 90 days. Would you do it? I don’t think I’d get past a week.

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Remember that poor Bigfoot-looking Mars Man we told you about? We are currently fearing for his life as NASA has released new images that the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted. It seems as though Mars isn’t as inactive geologically as previous thought, as avalanches on the surface of the planet have been spotted.

Does this mean that our Martian buddy is in trouble? Odds are that he has survived more than one of these in his time, so we have faith that he is still plodding around the planet. — Andrew Dobrow

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A rogue U.S. satellite is threatening to plummet into the Earth in March, but don’t worry, our government has got us covered. And we know they’ve never let us down before! Oh, that big shiny thing plummeting straight towards your new home? Don’t worry, nothing to see here. (more…)

No, we have not become a tabloid. Nor do we say that this image shows definitive proof of life on Mars (even though David Bowie asks that very same question decades ago, what a genius.) What we can tell you is that a humanoid-appearing entity was spotted chilling on a rock, from one of the photos taken by the NASA Mars Spirit explorer.

Is it just a discrepancy? Some weird rock formation? Is it an Ewok or even Bigfoot? We do not know. What we do know is that we’ll be hearing a cover-up story from NASA in the near future. Take the jump for a super close up. (more…)

If one day we are forced to expand our lives to the moon, we don’t want to make the same mistakes we’ve made here on Earth. Enter Luna Gaia, a green concept idea for making the moon living experience not only enjoyable, but friendly to the lunar environment.

Luna Gaia would be a self-sustaining habitat, which gathers solar energy and reuses all of its waste (mmm, urine water!) Luna Gaia is more than just your average Green-design lunar habitat (if there is an “average”). It has been presented to NASA, and might even be integrated into real life lunar outposts around the year 2020. That is, if we don’t nuke ourselves to hell before that. — Andrew Dobrow

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