Big Picture Science for Oct. 13, 2025: Mad About Mars

Big Picture Science: Mad About Mars

Long before Orson Welles provoked a panic with his 1938 radio broadcast of a Martian invasion in War of the Worlds, we were fascinated with the possibility of life on the Red Planet. We may be a step closer to finding it after the Perseverance rover turned up tantalizing evidence of possible ancient life in the form of mineral deposits in a Martian rock. But to be sure, we need to test that rock sample in a lab here on Earth, and the NASA Mars Sample Return Mission has been suspended. Still, our passion for our favorite inhabited world has not diminished. From the latest possible biosignature, to the supposed canals on Mars, to how the early 20th century Martian craze influenced vaudeville, we consider the many ways we are Mad About Mars.

Guests:
Janice Bishop – Senior research scientist at the SETI Institute.
Adam Frank – Astrophysicist at the University of Rochester
David Baron – Author of “The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn of the Century America”

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/mad-about-mars

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Big Picture Science for June 26, 2023 - Made for Mars

Big Picture Science - Made for Mars

Do you have what it takes to survive on Mars?  Beginning this month, four people will spend a year in a prototype Martian habitat meant to simulate living on the Red Planet.  It’s part of NASA’s efforts to prepare us for real human missions to Mars.  Find out how well we can replicate that world on Earth and what we might learn from doing so.

Also, a new robotic mission aims to be the first to bring back a piece of the Red Planet, and why Mars has enchanted us for centuries.

Guests:

• Scott Smith – Lead for the nutritional biochemistry lab at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, and member of the CHAPEA team.
• Matthew Shindell – Historian of science and Curator of Planetary Science and Exploration at the National Air and Space Museum. Author of For the Love of Mars; a Human History of the Red Planet.
• Pascal Lee – Planetary scientist at the SETI Institute, principal investigator of the Haughton-Mars Project, and co-founder of The Mars Institute
• Michela Muñoz Fernández – Program Executive for NASA’s Mars Sample Return Mission

Download podcast at -  https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/made-for-mars

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Major Space Weather Event on Mars

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 4, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

MAJOR SPACE WEATHER EVENT ON MARS: Last month, a human astronaut standing on the surface of Mars could have seen something amazing. The night sky of the Red Planet turned green in a global display of Northern Lights. Unfortunately, the same astronaut would have been irradiated by high energy particles from the sun. For three days in mid-September a solar storm enveloped Mars, crossing thresholds of ground-level radiation and auroras that orbiters and rovers had never seen before. Such global events on Mars may be more common than previously thought--a topic explored on today's edition of  Spaceweather.com.

Above: This artist's concept shows a solar coronal mass ejection (CME) bearing down on NASA's MAVEN spacecraft in orbit around Mars

A Big Hole in the Sun's Atmosphere faces Earth

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 30, 2017 - http://spaceweather.com

A BIG HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE: A large, canyon-shaped hole has opened in the sun's atmosphere, and it is spewing a stream of solar wind toward Earth.  Polar geomagnetic storms are likely when the fast-moving stream arrives, probably on Feb 1st. Visit today's edition of Spaceweather.com for more information.

SUNSET SKY SHOW: For the next two nights, watch the southwestern sky at sunset. Mars, Venus and the crescent Moon are converging for a beautiful gathering in the evening twilight.  Visit Spaceweather.com for sky maps and photos.

Midnight Sky Show

Source - Space Weather News for May 21, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

MIDNIGHT SKY SHOW: Tonight, the full Moon gets together with Mars and Saturn to form a bright triangle in the constellation Scorpius. The beautiful midnight encounter is visible around the world, and happens just one week before Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in more than a decade.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and more information

CME Impact on Oct. 24th

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 24, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

CME IMPACT:  Arriving earlier than expected, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on Saturday, Oct. 24th. Polar geomagnetic storms and auroras are possible this weekend as Earth moves through the CME's magnetized wake.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

MORNING SKY SHOW:  Set your alarm for dawn. Venus, Jupiter and Mars are gathering for a three-way close encounter in the early morning sky. Sky maps and observing tips are available on today's edition of  http://spaceweather.com

The First Martian Marathon

Source - NASA Science News for May 15, 2015

On Earth, a fast runner takes a few hours to complete a marathon. On Mars, it takes about 11 years. NASA's Opportunity rover crossed the finish line of the first "Martian Marathon" in 2015.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/15may_marathon/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gN_cmK9TUc&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

Auroras on Mars

Source - NASA Science News for May 11, 2015

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has detected widespread auroras on Mars.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/11may_aurorasonmars/

Big Picture Science for Monday 09 March 2015 - Mars-Struck

Big Picture Science - Mars-Struck

You love to travel. But would you if doing so meant never coming home? The private company Mars One says it will land humans on the Red Planet by 2026, but is only offering passengers one-way tickets. Hundreds of thousands of people volunteered to go.

Meet a young woman who made the short list, and hear why she’s ready to be Mars-bound. Also, why microbes could be hiding in water trapped in the planet’s rocks. And, how a wetter, better Mars lost its atmosphere and became a dry and forbidding place.

Plus, why Kim Stanley Robinson, author of a famous trilogy about colonizing and terraforming Mars, thinks that the current timeline for going to the planet is unrealistic.

Guests:

• Laurel Kaye – A senior in the physics department at Duke University
• Alfonso Davila – Senior scientist at the SETI Institute
• Stephen Brecht – Physicist and president of the Bay Area Research Group
• Kim Stanley Robinson – Hugo Award-winning science Fiction author of the Mars trilogy: Red Mars (Mars Trilogy), Green Mars (Mars Trilogy), Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy)

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Mars_Struck

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

New Evidence for a Mars Water Reservoir

Source - NASA Science News for Dec. 19, 2014

NASA and an international team of planetary scientists have found evidence in meteorites on Earth that indicates Mars has a distinct and global reservoir of water or ice near its surface.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/19dec_marswater/

Curiosity Detects Methane Spike on Mars

NASA Science News for Dec. 16, 2014

NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has measured a tenfold spike in methane, an organic chemical, in the atmosphere around it and detected other organic molecules in a rock-powder sample collected by the robotic laboratory’s drill.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/16dec_methanespike/

Comet Siding Spring is about to buzz Mars

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 16, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

MARS COMET: This weekend, Comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) will make a historically close approach to Mars.  Satellites and rovers will get an eye-full as the green comet passes less than 140,000 km above the Red Planet's surface. No one knows what will happen. Possible side-effects of the flyby include a Martian meteor shower and auroras.  

More information and amateur images of the comet approaching Mars may be found on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com .

First Light for MAVEN

Source - NASA Science News for October 10, 2014

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has reached Mars and it is beaming back "First Light" images of the Red Planet's upper atmosphere. The data could help researchers understand what transformed Mars from a hospitable planet billions of years ago into a desiccated wasteland today.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/10oct_firstlight/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ez2G5Efus&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

NASA Science Fleet Prepares for Mars Comet

Source - NASA Science News for October 9, 2014

NASA spacecraft and rovers are gearing up to observe a once-in-a-lifetime comet flyby of Mars on Sunday, Oct. 19.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/09oct_cometprep/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4yj7DtQbM



License: Standard YouTube License

NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Reaches Mars

Source - NASA Science News for September 22, 2014

On Sunday, Sept. 21st, NASA's MAVEN spacecraft successfully entered Mars orbit where it now will prepare to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere as never done before.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/22sep_maven/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4yj7DtQbM&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

Colliding Atmospheres: Mars vs Comet Siding Spring

Source - NASA Science News for August 12, 2014

Comet Siding Spring is about to fly historically close to Mars. The encounter could spark Martian auroras, a meteor shower, and other unpredictable effects. Whatever happens, NASA's fleet of Mars satellites will have a ringside seat.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/12aug_marscomet/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4yj7DtQbM&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

Mars Rover Sets Off-World Driving Record

Source - NASA Science News for July 28, 2014

NASA's Opportunity Mars rover, which landed on the Red Planet in 2004, now holds the off-Earth driving record of 25+ miles, and is not far from completing a full extraterrestrial marathon.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/28jul_oppy/

Mars Brightens in the Night Sky

Source - NASA Science News for April 1, 2014

Dust off your telescope. Earth and Mars are converging for a beautiful close encounter in April, an event astronomers call "the opposition of Mars."

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/28mar_opposition/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xngUpUyyT70



License: Standard YouTube License

Mars Rover Solves Doughnut Riddle

Source - NASA Science News for Feb. 14, 2014

What if a rock that looked like a jelly doughnut suddenly appeared on Mars? That's just what happened in front of Mars rover Opportunity last month. Researchers have since determined that the "doughnut" is a piece of a larger rock broken and moved by the rover's wheels in early January.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/14feb_doughnut/

Big Picture Science for 12/16/13 - Some Like It Cold

Big Picture Science - Some Like It Cold

We all may prefer the goldilocks zone – not too hot, not too cold. But most of the universe is bitterly cold. We can learn a lot about it if we’re willing to brave a temperature drop.

A chilly Arctic island is the closest thing to Mars-on-Earth for scientists who want to go to the Red Planet. Meanwhile, the ice sheet at the South Pole is ideal for catching neutrinos – ghostly particles that may reveal secrets about the nature of the universe.

Comet ISON is comet ice-off after its passage close to the Sun, but it’s still giving us the word on solar system’s earliest years.

Also, scientists discover the coldest spot on Earth. A champion chill, but positively balmy compared to absolute zero. Why reaching a temperature of absolute zero is impossible, although we’ve gotten very, very close.

Guests:

• Francis Halzen – Physicist, University of Wisconsin-Madison, principal investigator of The IceCube Neutrino Observatory
• Ted Scambos – Glaciologist, lead scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado
• Pascal Lee – Planetary scientist, SETI Institute, director, NASA Haughton-Mars Project, and co-founder of the Mars Society. His new book is Mission: Mars
• Andrew Fraknoi – Chair, astronomy department, Foothill College
• Vladan Vuletić – Physicist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Some_Like_It_Cold

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.