Mars

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot has landed back on Earth after a 237‑day mission, concluding her long‑duration stay aboard the International Space Station. The return follows a series of ESA activities this week, including the Smile mission’s capture of a complete auroral ring, Mars Express’s detection of a new Martian cloud formation, and Hera’s first images of target asteroids for planetary defence. Earlier space history notes that NASA’s Galileo spacecraft passed asteroid Gaspra in 1991, marking the first spacecraft encounter with an asteroid.

Scientists have published an initial description of the Martian meteorite Teghaza 001’s ancient crust in Science. The rock formed in the Martian crust at least 4.1 billion years ago, placing it among the oldest of roughly 435 known Martian meteorites. It was recovered in eight fragments near the Malian village of Bir Chali after its 2022 discovery in the Sahara, the largest piece about fist‑size. Analyses reveal a coarse‑grained gabbro with feldspar, pyroxene, uranium‑bearing zircon and elevated manganese oxide, indicating water interaction. Yang Liu of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory calls the meteorite a witness to a warmer, wetter early Mars.

NASA's Perseverance rover has measured fine and ultrafine dust particles on samples of spacesuit material after 1,645 Martian days on the planet. Researchers say some particles are small enough to reach the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Scott VanBommel, a planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and lead author, says smaller particles can penetrate deeper into the body. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The data could inform spacesuit and habitat design, dust-removal procedures and crew health standards for future NASA missions to Mars.