An Air Force test pilot, a Space Force officer, and a Marine Corps F/A-18 pilot were named to the crew of a NASA Mars simulation mission.

Prize: NASA could offer a prize—say $3 billion to the first company and $1 billion to a second company—for delivering something like 1 kg of Mars rocks and soil back to Earth. NASA has used prizes very sparingly in the past, but this option could appeal to the Trump administration as it would require very little funding up front.

Four researchers will spend more than a year in a 3D-printed habitat, acting as though they're eating, sleeping and living on Mars. A previous simulation concluded in July 2024.

An exciting discovery on Mars is being overshadowed by turmoil at NASA, with budget cuts threatening to destroy a scientific legacy that has been built over decades. Yesterday, the agency shared a finding, published in Nature, of potential biosignatures identified by the Mars Perseverance rover in a 3.5 billion-year-old rock.

NASA’s Mars missions have made incredible progress, but now they’re facing a major challenge that could threaten the future of Martian exploration. With rovers, landers, and upcoming human missions all depending on flawless execution,