A NASA spacecraft on Mars is headed for a dusty demise.

The Insight lander is losing power because of all the dust on its solar panels. NASA said Tuesday it will keep using the spacecraft’s seismometer to register marsquakes until the power peters out, likely in July. Then flight controllers will monitor InSight until the end of this year, before calling everything off.

Since landing on Mars in 2018, InSight has detected more than 1,300 marsquakes; the biggest one, a magnitude 5, occurred two weeks ago.

It will be NASA's second Mars lander lost to dust: A global dust storm took out Opportunity in 2018. In InSight's case, it's been a gradual gathering of dust, especially over the past year.

NASA's two other functioning spacecraft on the Martian surface — rovers Curiosity and Perseverance — are still going strong thanks to nuclear power. The space agency may rethink solar power in the future for Mars, said planetary science director Lori Glaze, or at least experiment with new panel-clearing tech or aim for the less-stormy seasons.

InSight currently is generating one-tenth of the power from the sun that it did upon arrival. Deputy project manager Kathya Zamora Garcia said the lander initially had enough power to run an electric oven for one hour and 40 minutes; now it’s down to 10 minutes max.

The InSight team anticipated this much dust buildup but hoped a gust of wind or dust devil might clean off the solar panels. That has yet to happen, despite several thousand whirlwinds coming close.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.

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Ancient bacteria might be sleeping beneath the surface of Mars, where it has been shielded from the harsh radiation of space for millions of years, according to new research.

While no evidence of life has been found on the red planet, researchers simulated conditions on Mars in a lab to see how bacteria and fungi could survive. The scientists were surprised to discover that bacteria could likely survive for 280 million years if it was buried and protected from the ionizing radiation and solar particles that bombard the Martian surface.

The findings suggested that if life ever existed on Mars, the dormant evidence of it might still be located in the planet's subsurface — a place that future missions could explore as they drill into Martian soil.

While Mars was likely a more hospitable environment for life billions of years ago, including an atmosphere and water on its surface, today the red planet is more like a frozen desert. The planet's arid midlatitudes have an average temperature of minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. And then there's the constant threat of radiation because Mars has such a thin atmosphere.

"There is no flowing water or significant water in the Martian atmosphere, so cells and spores would dry out," said study coauthor Brian Hoffman, Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry and professor of molecular biosciences in Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, in a statement. "It also is known that the surface temperature on Mars is roughly similar to dry ice, so it is indeed deeply frozen."

A research team determined the survival limits of microbial life when it is exposed to ionizing radiation like it might experience on Mars. Then, the team introduced six types of bacteria and fungi found on Earth to a simulated Martian surface environment — all while zapping them with protons or gamma rays to mimic space radiation.

A clear winner emerged called Deinococcus radiodurans. The microbe, nicknamed "Conan the Bacterium" due to its tough nature, seemed perfectly suited to life on Mars.

The bacteria is a polyextremophile, meaning it can survive harsh conditions such as dehydration, acid and cold temperatures. The hardy microbe is one of the most radiation-resistant organisms known to science.

Previous research has found that the bacteria could survive 1.2 million years just beneath the surface of Mars amid the harsh radiation and dry, frozen environment — and outlast some microorganisms known to survive on Earth for millions of years.

The new study determined that when Conan the Bacterium is dried, frozen and buried deep beneath the Martian surface, it could survive 140,000 units of radiation — 28,000 times greater than the level of radiation exposure that could kill a human.

The bacteria, which resembles a pumpkin when viewed beneath a microscope, would likely survive only a few hours on the Martian surface after relentless exposure to ultraviolet light. Conan the Bacterium's expected survival increased to 1.5 million years just 4 inches below the surface, and about 280 million years if the bacteria was 33 feet down.

The journal Astrobiology published a study detailing the findings Tuesday.

The researchers were able to measure how many manganese antioxidants accumulated in the cells of the microorganisms as they were exposed to radiation. The more manganese antioxidants the team found, the more likely the microbe was able to resist the radiation and survive.

Conan the Bacterium's genomic structure links chromosomes and plasmids together, meaning the cells stay aligned and can repair themselves after radiation exposure. And if a microbe similar to Conan evolved on Mars billions of years ago, when water still existed on the Martian surface, the bacteria's dormant remnants might just be slumbering deep in the planet's subsurface.

"Although D. radiodurans buried in the Martian subsurface could not survive dormant for the estimated 2 to 2.5 billion years since flowing water disappeared on Mars, such Martian environments are regularly altered and melted by meteorite impacts," said study author Michael Daly, a professor of pathology at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and member of the National Academies' Committee on Planetary Protection, in a statement.

"We suggest that periodic melting could allow intermittent repopulation and dispersal. Also, if Martian life ever existed, even if viable lifeforms are not now present on Mars, their macromolecules and viruses would survive much, much longer. That strengthens the probability that, if life ever evolved on Mars, this will be revealed in future missions."

The findings have implications for both returning Martian samples to Earth as well as landing crewed missions on Mars.

The Mars Sample Return program, an ambitious program jointly steered by NASA and the European Space Agency, will launch multiple missions to Mars to collect and return samples that were gathered by the Perseverance rover.

The rover team hopes that the rock and soil samples, taken from the site of an ancient lake and river delta in Mars' Jezero Crater, could determine if life ever existed on the red planet. The samples might even contain microfossils of ancient microbial life.

Additionally, astronauts have the potential to accidentally deliver hitchhiking bacteria from Earth when they land on Mars.

"We concluded that terrestrial contamination on Mars would essentially be permanent — over timeframes of thousands of years," Hoffman said. "This could complicate scientific efforts to look for Martian life. Likewise, if microbes evolved on Mars, they could be capable of surviving until present day. That means returning Mars samples could contaminate Earth."

The Curiosity rover has captured a stunning new mosaic that reveals the dramatic, colorful hues of morning and afternoon light on the surface of Mars.

Video above: Experts warn that humans are trashing mars, could jeopardize future missions

The robotic explorer used its black-and-white navigation cameras to take panoramas of the Marker Band Valley on April 8 before leaving the site. One panorama was taken at 9:20 a.m., while the other was taken at 3:40 p.m., both local Mars time.

The black-and-white panoramas captured how different the landscape looks at two different times of day, and color was added in post-processing by a team at NASA. The blue light signifies the morning, while the yellow light indicates the afternoon.

The image is similar to another postcard taken by Curiosity in November 2021.

“Anyone who’s been to a national park knows the scene looks different in the morning than it does in the afternoon,” said Curiosity engineer Doug Ellison at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a statement. “Capturing two times of day provides dark shadows because the lighting is coming in from the left and the right, like you might have on a stage — but instead of stage lights, we’re relying on the Sun.”

Ellison, who serves as the Mars exploration team’s lead on rover cams, devised the plan for Curiosity to take the panoramas and processed the images to create the new mosaic.

Curiosity has been exploring the foothills of the 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer) Mount Sharp at the center of Gale Crater since it landed in 2012. In the image, Marker Band Valley can be seen beyond the rover’s tracks, where the robotic explorer unexpectedly discovered evidence of an ancient lake.

The shadows are more pronounced in the image because the panoramas were taken during winter at Gale Crater, when airborne dust is closer to the surface.

“Mars’ shadows get sharper and deeper when there’s low dust and softer when there’s lots of dust,” Ellison said.

HOUSTON —

Four volunteer crew members have embarked on a simulated journey to Mars inside a ground-based habitat at NASA to study the isolation and confinement of exploration missions.

The simulated journey to Mars' moon Phobos began on Friday at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and will last for 45 days.

The volunteer crew, which includes Jared Broddrick, Pietro Di Tillio, Dragos Michael Popescu and Patrick Ridgley, entered a structure called the Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, which is "designed to serve as an analog for the rigors of real space exploration missions," NASA said in a statement.

In a video posted to NASA's Johnson Space Center Twitter account, the four men were seen entering the HERA structure before the hatch was officially closed and will not be opened until March 14.

While inside the HERA structure, the men will experience up to five minutes of delayed communication with the rest of the world, the agency said. The goal, according to NASA, is to help train the crew and NASA coordinators to practice communicating under these circumstances while ensuring a smooth operation.

"In this HERA campaign, we're learning more about how teams function in an autonomous environment where they have limited contact with Earth," said Brandon Vessey, research operations and integration element scientist for NASA's Human Research Program, or HRP.

"What we learn will inform how future exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit are performed. This will help ensure that our astronaut crews can work effectively through challenges unique to long-duration spaceflight, including communication delays," Vessey said.

This is the second of four "Campaign 6" missions conducted by HERA to facilitate research into the "behavioral and team performance of longer duration missions," NASA's website says. The final mission as part of the campaign is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2022.

To qualify for the missions, individuals must be healthy non-smokers between the ages of 30 and 55. Applicants to be part of the HERA crew submit their resumes to Johnson Space Center's Test Subject Screening group and must pass a physical and psychological test to be selected.

HRP is set to perform 15 studies throughout the missions to collect data that will help NASA land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, a plan known as "Artemis." The goal is to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon, which will help inform the agency as it prepares to send the first astronauts to Mars, according to NASA.

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Pennsylvania community is rallying around a female hockey goalie on a high school's boys team who was the target of vulgar and sexist harassment from spectators at a game last week.

The Post-Gazette reports that about 1,000 fans came out to the UPMC Lemieux Center in Cranberry Township to cheer the player on Monday. The larger-than-normal crowd gave the student a rousing welcome when she got on the ice and cheered when she made a save, the newspaper says.

Video obtained by WPVI shows many fans in the crowd holding up signs with messages like, “Prove them wrong,” “Girls rule,” “You are not alone,” and “We belong on the ice!”

The support for the player comes after a video surfaced on social media that showed students from Armstrong High School chanting sexist and vulgar phrases at the female goalie who was playing for the opposing team from Mars Area High School on Oct. 28.

In response to the video, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League has banned Armstrong students from attending their school’s hockey games and placed the school’s team on probation, The Associated Press reports.

Armstrong has also issued disciplinary action against the students involved in the chants, though the exact discipline wasn’t revealed by administrators, according to the Post-Gazette.

A family friend told KDKA that the student targeted by the remarks didn’t speak to the media on Monday night because she doesn’t want the attention. She just wants to play the game she loves.

The Mars Hockey Club issued this statement to KDKA:

“We are hopeful that the attention this incident has drawn will shed light on the issues our female athletes face which must not be tolerated and that this attention will help with eliminating this type of conduct from our sport.”

The situation even got the attention of Meghan Duggan, a women’s hockey Olympian on Team USA. She offered support to the affected student.

“To the Mars goalie who was targeted at a western PA hockey game last week...Every time you take the ice, women (and) girls all over the hockey community are proud of YOU! You represent so much more than the hateful words that were directed toward you. I stand with you,” she wrote.

First came the billionaires, then the movie stars — now ketchup is making its mark on the space race.

Heinz revealed its first "Marz Edition" ketchup with tomatoes produced on Earth in Mars-like conditions. A team of 14 astrobiologists worked for nine months at the Aldrin Space Institute at the Florida Institute of Technology, growing tomatoes in a controlled environment with soil, temperature and water conditions similar to Mars.

Former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino said ketchup made from conventional Earth tomatoes has been a staple condiment in space to spruce up dehydrated meals, but the Marz Edition variety has implications that go far beyond flavor. The experiment, which has been two years in the making, demonstrates the possibility of long-term food production on Mars.

"Before now, most efforts around discovering ways to grow in Martian-simulated conditions are short-term plant growth studies. What this project has done is look at long-term food harvesting. Achieving a crop that is of a quality to become Heinz Tomato Ketchup was the dream result and we achieved it," said Andrew Palmer, who led the team at the Aldrin Space Institute at Florida Tech.

NASA has also experimented with plant harvesting in space to provide astronauts with more nutrients for their freeze-dried diets. (Apparently, the human body can't survive off freeze-dried ice cream.) The International Space Station recently hosted a taco party after harvesting the first chile peppers on the station -- ketchup could be the taco party's next guest. There has been discussion of sending a tomato-growing experiment to the space station, said NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough on Friday.

The research team and Massimino will be the first to taste final product on Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. ET. You can watch the historic event on Heinz's social media channels, such as Twitter and Instagram.

The Martian ketchup is not available for purchase, but if you ever find yourself heading to Mars, that might be one thing you don't have to pack.

WASHINGTON —

President Joe Biden on Thursday congratulated the NASA team responsible for last month’s successful landing of an unmanned rover on Mars and for giving the country a “dose of confidence” at a moment when the nation's reputation as a scientific leader has been tattered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking in video conference call with the leadership of space agency’s jet propulsion laboratory team, Biden expressed awe over the Feb. 18 landing of Perseverance.

Perseverance, the biggest, most advanced rover ever sent by NASA, became the ninth spacecraft since the 1970s to successfully land on Mars, traveling some 300 million miles in nearly seven months, as part of an ongoing quest to study whether there was once life on the planet.

“It’s so much bigger than landing Perseverance on Mars," Biden told members of the NASA team. “It’s about the American spirit. And you brought it back”

Biden watched on television as Perseverance’s touched down on Mars last month and called NASA’s Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk to pass on his congratulations to the Perseverance team. But Biden said he wanted to speak directly to the team, which he said deserved credit not only for the astronomical feat but also with boosting the United States' reputation at a moment when it's sorely needed.

He recalled that another nation's leader recently told him that the U.S., once seen as competent, saw its standing fall with its response to coronavirus pandemic.

But Biden, who has made stemming a pandemic that has killed nearly 520,000 Americans his top priority, said that the Mars landing offered the nation a bit of inspiration at a moment when it's sorely needed.

“We can land a rover on Mars, we can beat a pandemic," Biden said. “And with science, hope and vision, there’s not a damn thing we can’t do as a country.”

The Perseverence landing comes amid a recent mad dash to Mars among rival space programs.

The NASA team landing on Feb. 18 marked the third visit to Mars in just over a week. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around Mars on successive days earlier in February. All three missions lifted off in July to take advantage of the close alignment of Earth and Mars.

NASA's car-size, plutonium-powered vehicle arrived at Jezero Crater, hitting NASA’s smallest and trickiest target yet: a 5-by-4-mile strip on an ancient river delta full of pits, cliffs and rocks. Scientists believe that if life ever flourished on Mars, it would have happened 3 billion to 4 billion years ago, when water still flowed on the planet.

Over the next two years, the rover, nicknamed Percy, will use its 7-foot arm to drill down and collect rock samples containing possible signs of bygone microscopic life.

Three to four dozen chalk-size samples will be sealed in tubes and set aside to be retrieved eventually by another rover and brought homeward by another rocket ship.

BEIJING, China —

China has landed a spacecraft on Mars for the first time in the latest advance for its space program.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that the lander had touched down, citing the China National Space Administration.

Plans call for a rover to stay in the lander for a few days of diagnostic tests before rolling down a ramp to explore an icy area of Mars known as Utopia Planitia. It will join an American one that arrived at the red planet in February.

China's first Mars landing follows its launch last month of the main section of what will be a permanent space station and a mission that brought back rocks from the moon late last year.

"China has left a footprint on Mars for the first time, an important step for our country's space exploration," Xinhua said in announcing the landing on one of its social media accounts.

The U.S. has had nine successful landings on Mars since 1976. The Soviet Union landed on the planet in 1971, but the mission failed after the craft stopped transmitting information soon after touchdown.

A rover and a tiny helicopter from the American landing in February are currently exploring Mars. NASA expects the rover to collect its first sample in July for return to Earth in a decade.

China has landed on the moon before but landing on Mars is a much more difficult undertaking because it has an extremely thin atmosphere.

Spacecraft must use heat shields for protection from the searing heat of reentry and both retro-rockets and parachutes to slow enough to prevent a crash landing. The parachutes and rockets must be deployed at precise times to land at the designated spot.

Only mini-retro rockets are required for a moon landing, and parachutes alone are sufficient for returning to Earth, which has a much bigger atmosphere.