US military looks for new life for dead satellites

It's like doing robotic surgery in zero gravity: Imagine scavenging defunct communication satellites for their valuable parts and recycling them to build new ones for cheap.

Michigan scientists bring special expertise to new rover mission

(PhysOrg.com) -- Two University of Michigan planetary scientists are vital members of the science team of the Mars Science Laboratory, which will study whether the Red Planet was ever capable of harboring microbial life. ...

UA eyes $30 million Google Lunar X prize

In the second article [first story] about the research of UA space systems engineer Roberto Furfaro, we look at his work with Moon Express, a privately funded lunar transportation company that plans a pinpoint landing on ...

Microbial life on Mars: Could saltwater make it possible?

(PhysOrg.com) -- How common are droplets of saltwater on Mars? Could microbial life survive and reproduce in them? A new million-dollar NASA project led by the University of Michigan aims to answer those questions.

Breaking Antarctica's ice

Over the course of the past decade, NASA spacecraft have identified several sites on Mars where conditions capable of supporting life existed in the past. One of the most promising of these sites, and a good candidate for ...