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Back in November, NASA's next-generation Mars rover, Curiosity, set a course for the Red Planet. But it didn't actually chart a direct course; in order to keep Mars clean of microbes originating from here on Earth, NASA actually had to aim the spacecraft so that it would miss Mars. More »
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In August of 2012, NASA's biggest, baddest, and most scientifically capable rover ever, Curiosity, will touch down on the surface of Mars. More »
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A monster doesn't need limbs or appendages to be great. No, sometimes all the being needs are ample curves to strike fear into the hearts of its foes. Here are ten of our favorite circular beings, and be forewarned that there's a NSFW creature or two among the bunch.

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For decades, humanity has been launching missions to Mars, in hopes of making sense of the enigma that is our solar system's most Earth-like planet. And as with all good mysteries, many of our investigations have simply led to more questions. More »
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NASA's robotic Mars Rover Opportunity has been trekking around the surface of Mars for close to eight years now, over 30 times longer than its planned mission duration. While on Mars, the hardy Opportunity moves at a pretty leisurely pace. It took this Energizer-bunny of a rover just short of three years to span the thirteen miles separating Victoria crater from the massive Endeavour crater. But you can experience the trip in less than three minutes. More »
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The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter looks down at the Mars Opportunity Rover as it ventures perilously near a crater. Via Cosmic Log. Image Nasa/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona. More »
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NASA has yet to find liquid water on Mars, but analysis of the soil where the Spirit Rover became stuck last year suggests liquid water flowed through the soil — and fairly recently. More »
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Everyone's favorite animated misfit robot has some serious competition, thanks to Planet 51's new CG robo-puppy, Rover. We've got 10 clips from this animated first-contact tale, and we're shocked at how adorable Rover and the Ridley Scott alien puppy are. More »
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Since 1960 we've been attempting to explore the red planet, and along the way there have been countless failures and lost spacecraft that attest to just how hard it is to fly those 35 million miles from here to there. However, there have also been success stories, like the twin rovers Opportunity and Spirit, who have both overcome mechanical problems, braved dust storms, and sent back enormous amounts of data. Today, after being threatened with a shutdown due to budget cuts, the Martian rovers got a reprieve. They'll be rolling along for many months to come. To celebrate, check out our list of Martian robots and landers who have already served their robotic duty as our slaves, erm we mean allies, on the red planet. More »
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Is that a little man on Mars in this picture from NASA's Mars Spirit explorer? We didn't even bother to blog this image when we saw it the other day, but tons of British newspapers have seized on it. Sample headline: "Crikey! There's A Little Green Man On Mars!" Actually, my favorite is the one that points out he's naked (gasp!). So what do the experts think? More »
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Spirit, one of the Mars rovers, accidentally kicked up some dust with its unsteady wheel the other day, and revealed a possible history of water-saturated land on Mars. The wheel-kick laid bare some white sand deposits whose mineral composition is nearly pure silica — the kind of thing normally left behind by hot springs. Image via NASA. [PhysOrg] More »
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