Drinking in space is typically tricky, as liquids separate into droplets without Earth’s gravitational pull. However, researchers at NASA have devised a way to drink from an open-top cup without gravity or a straw. The Space Cup, part of NASA’s Capillary Flow Experiment, combines cup geometry and fluid dynamics to allow astronauts to sip liquids as if on Earth. Designed by astronaut Don Pettit, physicist …
Researchers at Arizona State University working with NASA-affiliated scientists have found that the surface of Mars houses a supply of opal. The semi-precious gemstones form when silica dissolves in water—a process that suggests the region may have once held far more water than we believe. Since water and silica can be separated, the existence of opals also acts as a possible future water source, supporting the …
A recent study from the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters presents new speculation about the early evolution of Mars. By developing a new model of the Martian atmosphere through time, researchers found that Mars—in contrast to the frozen desert it is now—was born with lots of water and a dense atmosphere that could have harbored warm-to-hot oceans for millions of years. This discovery likens …
