Field geology at a distance
As part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, Professor Tanja Bosak helps determine the best samples to bring home for clues about life 4 billion years ago.
With Perseverance and a little MOXIE, MIT is going to Mars
Led by MIT researchers, one of the experiments aboard the next mission to the Red Planet aims to generate oxygen from Martian air.
When baby planets melt
MIT scientists identify first magmas generated in solar system’s building blocks, unexpectedly answering questions about meteorites and formation of rocky planets.
Mars 2020: The search for ancient life is on
Researchers in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences will help direct Mars 2020 rover sample acquisition.
Interdisciplinary team takes top prize in Mars colony design competition
MIT PhD student George Lordos and his brother Alexandros led the project; goal of the Mars Society competition was to establish a colony on Mars for 1,000 residents.
Practicing for a voyage to Mars
Barret Schlegelmilch ’18 takes part in simulated NASA mission to the Martian moon Phobos.
Scientists look to synthetic biology and 3-D printing for life support in space
Do-it-yourself bio and maker communities can help NASA meet needs of long-distance missions.
How to detect life on Mars
Scientists from the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes instrument team develop method to detect the tiniest traces of life on other planetary bodies.
Maria Zuber awarded the Gerard P. Kuiper Prize in Planetary Sciences
Honor recognizes scientists whose achievements have most advanced our understanding of planetary systems.
MIT team places second in 2019 NASA BIG Idea Challenge
Multilevel Mars greenhouse could provide food to sustain astronauts for several years.
MIT celebrates 50th anniversary of historic moon landing
Symposium featuring former astronauts and other Apollo mission luminaries examines the program’s legacy.
Mars 2020 landing site offers unique opportunities
EAPS professors Summons, Bosak, and Weiss provide insight on how the Jezero Crater can advance the study of Martian history and the search for ancient life.
Addressing the possibility of life on Mars
Mars expert John Grotzinger tells the story of exploration and the search for ancient life on the red planet at the annual Carlson Lecture.
Software finds the best way to stick a Mars landing
Program users can tinker with landing and path planning scenarios to identify optimal landing sites for Mars rovers.
Investigating Earth’s earliest life
Graduate student Kelsey Moore uses genetic and fossil evidence to study the first stages of evolution on our planet.