Analysis of those samples, which are being collected by NASA's Perseverance rover, could reveal a wealth of data ... The lander will also employ a nuclear power source — a radioisotope thermoelectric ...

Option one would use the same "sky crane" landing system proven with NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance ... spacecraft would rely on a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, or RTG, instead of ...

Another challenge is designing spacecraft that can last for years—or even decades. Deep space missions, like Voyager 1 and 2, ...

Any vehicle traversing the rocky terrain on Mars needs a sturdy set of wheels. NASA’s Perseverance rover, for example, sports thick aluminum ones covered in cleats to enhance its traction and ...

For years, the U.S. space agency's Perseverance rover has been scouring Mars and scooping up intriguing rock samples. Some of those samples have been stashed away in cylindrical tubes on the ...

Meanwhile, the Perseverance rover that collected the more-than two-dozen samples is powering on at the top of the Jezero Crater where it landed in 2021. A collection of Martian rocks could reveal ...

The idea really caught shape when the Perseverance rover departed for the Red Planet ... and they will be replaced by a radioisotope power system. This choice should give the platform the ability ...

NASA recently deemed this situation unacceptable. In April 2024, agency chief Bill Nelson announced that an overhaul of the ...