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Despite being a vast and inhospitable planet today, scientists believe Mars, the Red Planet, used to look much like Earth, the Blue Planet. Over the last four years, NASA’s Perseverance rover has wandered across an area of Mars where researchers believe a powerful river once poured into a crater, forming a sizable delta. According to computer models, ancient Mars most likely had frequent snowfall and rain, which shaped the enormous networks of lakes and river basins. In the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, a recent study found that the distribution of these land characteristics is more consistent with precipitation models than with only the consequences of melting ice caps.

Investigating Early Martian Climate Through Modeling

The researchers published their findings April 21 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. According to the research by geologists at the University of Colorado in Boulder, our planetary neighbour, on average 140 million miles away in space, was warm and wet billions of years ago. This challenges a long-held belief that early Mars was mostly cold and icy. However, there’s a vital mystery buried in the story: It’s unclear where Mars’ water could have come from, and most climate models predict the world exhibits surface temperatures that are far too cold to sustain liquid water, raising questions about how those visible geological features could have formed.

“It’s very hard to make any kind of conclusive statement,” Amanda Steckel, a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology’s Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, said in a statement. “But we see these valleys beginning at a large range of elevations. It’s hard to explain that with just ice,” she further added in the official blog posted by University of Colorado. 

Through computer simulations, Steckel and her team explored what Mars might have looked like during the Noachian epoch, when water may have drastically shaped the planet’s surface, some 4 billion years ago. Initially created for Earth, their model was modified to simulate how Mars’ landscape changed near the equator, where expansive channel networks extend from the highlands and drain into ancient lakes, possibly even an ocean. NASA’s Perseverance rover is currently exploring one of these sites, Jezero Crater, where a once-powerful river poured into the basin.

Comparing Climate Models and Implications for Planetary History

The group explored two major simulation models, the ice-melt model and the wet and warm model for how precipitation might have created the valleys on Mars: one in which the planet was warm and humid, and another in which ice briefly melted at the edge of a huge ice cap, signifying a cold, arid climate. With valley roots showing up in radically diverse places, each scenario produced a very different Mars.

Their goal was to determine whether ancient Mars may have had a more Earth-like climate, at least for a while. While more evidence is needed and answers to questions, such as how the planet stayed warm enough for rain or snow, are part of an ongoing investigation. Still, Hynek said the study offers valuable clues, not just about Mars, but about the early history of Earth as well.

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Earth to Spin Faster on July 22 to Place It Among Shortest Days in History

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July 22, 2025

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Earth to Spin Faster on July 22 to Place It Among Shortest Days in History

Scientists say Earth will spin slightly faster on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, making that day roughly 1.34 milliseconds shorter than the usual 24-hour period. This subtle acceleration, detected by atomic clocks and satellites, will make July 22 the second-shortest day in recorded history. (Only July 10, 2025 — 1.36 ms short — was shorter this year.) Experts note that since 2020, Earth has repeatedly set new short-day records, a trend now under close watch by global timekeeping authorities. While imperceptible in daily life, the phenomenon may ultimately require an unprecedented “negative” leap second to keep atomic time aligned with Earth’s spin.

Earth’s Unusual Acceleration

According to previous studies, Earth’s rotation is not perfectly constant. The July 22 rotation was measured at 1.34 milliseconds less than a normal day. Reports say that 2025 is witnessing some of the fastest spins on record – the quickest since continuous measurements began in 1973.

In fact, new data showed that earlier in 2025 the shortest day occurred on July 10 (about 1.36 ms shorter than 24 hours), with July 22 a “close runner-up” at 1.34 ms below normal. If current models hold, another brief day is expected on August 5 (roughly 1.25 ms short), leaving July 22 as the second-shortest of the year. Altogether, researchers describe this as a “puzzling trend” of Earth’s rotation speeding up in recent years.

Speed-Up reasons

Scientists attribute these fluctuations to a mix of celestial and geophysical factors. The Moon’s orbit is a prime factor: in early July it reached maximum declination, pulling off-center and briefly accelerating Earth’s spin. The same lunar alignment on July 22 is expected to repeat the effect. Normally, lunar tides act as a brake, gradually lengthening days, but on these shorter timescales the Moon’s position can instead speed up the rotation.

Other subtle influences also play a role. Climate-driven mass shifts – such as melting ice sheets and moving ocean water – change Earth’s moment of inertia and can tweak day length. Even large earthquakes or seasonal atmospheric changes can nudge Earth’s rotation by tiny microseconds.

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Algae-Grown Bioplastic Passes Mars Pressure Test, Boosting Hopes for Red Planet Habitats

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July 21, 2025

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Algae-Grown Bioplastic Passes Mars Pressure Test, Boosting Hopes for Red Planet Habitats

In a major step forward for sustainable space travel, researchers have been able to successfully grow algae inside biodegradable bioplastic, which mimics the conditions of the extreme Martian environment. The experiment was intended to see how well materials made of polylactic acid could keep conditions habitable on Mars, where the surface pressure is less than 1 percent that of the Earth’s. It’s an important step toward the development of self-sustaining habitats for the human portion of the expeditionary force that require regenerative biological systems instead of expensive resupply missions from Earth.

Algae Thrive in Bioplastic Chambers Under Mars-Like Conditions, Paving Way for Space Habitats

As per a study published in Science Advances, a research team led by Robin Wordsworth of Harvard University demonstrated that the green algae Dunaliella tertiolecta could not only survive but perform photosynthesis inside 3D-printed chambers engineered to replicate Mars’s thin, carbon dioxide–rich atmosphere. The bioplastic chamber also protected the algae from ultraviolet radiation while allowing enough light for biological activity. Liquid water was stabilised using a pressure gradient within the chamber.

The researchers highlighted that bioplastics offer distinct advantages over traditional industrial

materials, which are difficult to recycle or transport in space. Since polylactic acid is derived from natural sources, it could potentially be manufactured or regenerated on-site using algae—establishing a self-sustaining loop. “If you have a habitat that is composed of bioplastic and it grows algae within it, that algae could produce more bioplastic,” Wordsworth noted in a statement.

This latest experiment builds on the team’s earlier work involving silica aerogels that replicated Earth’s greenhouse conditions. By combining algae-based bioplastic systems for material regeneration with aerogels for thermal and atmospheric control, the team sees a viable path forward to long-term extraterrestrial habitation. The chambers’ success under Mars-like conditions reinforces the possibility of using biologically sourced materials to support life beyond Earth.

In future experiments, those systems are to be tested in harsher vacuum conditions, eventually for the benefit of human spaceflight and with spinoff applications on Earth, said Wordsworth, who contends such technology can have spinoff benefits.

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NASA Tests Modular Satellite Tech to Cut Launch Costs and Speed Missions

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July 21, 2025

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NASA Tests Modular Satellite Tech to Cut Launch Costs and Speed Missions

NASA is testing new scalable satellite technology to integrate and launch scientific sensors faster and at lower cost. NASA’s Athena EPIC (Economical Payload Integration Cost) mission uses a compact, modular spacecraft platform that “shares resources among the payloads onboard” so each instrument doesn’t need its own control system. By offloading routine functions to the bus, this architecture promises “lower costs to taxpayers and a quicker path to launch”. Langley leads the project, which will fly as a SpaceX rideshare in mid-2025 to test the concept in orbit. It could expedite deployment of climate and weather sensors and accelerate future missions.

Scalable Satellite Platforms and Demonstration Missions

According to official site, NASA and industry partners are developing modular small satellite platforms. The Athena EPIC spacecraft is built from eight interlocking Hyper-Integrated Satlet (HISat) modules that form a “SensorCraft” bus, simplifying integration of multiple instruments. In parallel, NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series uses a standard six-unit (6U) CubeSat bus (by Terran Orbital) that can be reconfigured quickly. The PTD-3 mission, launched in 2022, carried MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s TBIRD optical-communications payload and achieved a record 200 gigabits-per-second laser downlink from orbit.

Commercial partners are involved as well: Blue Canyon Technologies built the two CubeSats for NASA’s CubeSat Laser Infrared Crosslink (CLICK) mission, and will supply four for the forthcoming Starling formation-flying demo. These standardized buses and partnerships speed integration and testing of new satellite systems.

Faster Deployments, Lower Costs, and Scientific Gains

These scalable satellite buses promise to cut mission costs and cycle times. Instead of the billion-dollar platforms of old, the new “SensorCraft” design can slash costs to the single-digit millions per mission. Smaller satellites are cheaper to build and easier to replace if failures occur. Moreover, by reusing existing parts, teams can accelerate development – for example, Athena’s optical sensor was assembled from spare components of NASA’s CERES climate-observation satellites. NASA officials note that, “as satellites become smaller, a less traditional, more efficient path to launch is needed” to maximize science return.

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