On January 3, 2004, NASA’s Spirit rover successfully touched down on Mars after a perilous six-minute descent through the planet’s thin atmosphere — a milestone made even more significant for the Santa Clarita Valley, as several local residents played central roles in the mission. Spirit, part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, landed inside ...

Six aligned planets are anticipated to be viewable in the skies beginning next week with a seventh later in March. This planetary alignment will include Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Some of these planets are more easily seen with the naked eye. A telescope is recommended for more distant planets like Uranus and Neptune, according to NASA. Planets ...

Five planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, are set to appear in alignment with the crescent moon Tuesday night.  The planetary alignment is anticipated to be visible in the night sky next to the moon. These five planets last aligned back in 2004, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  In an interview with Good Morning ...

Mars and Jupiter are set to be visible in the pre-dawn sky this weekend in an event known to astronomers as a conjunction, where the two planets appear close together.  During this Memorial Day weekend, sky gazers can catch a glimpse of the two planets as they appear 20 degrees above the horizon in the eastern-southeastern sky against the constellation ...

A Nasa mission to orbit and photograph Mars caught images of a Mars lander that arrived on the planet’s surface earlier this week, officials said. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. A Nasa mission to orbit and photograph Mars caught images of a Mars lander that arrived on the planet’s surface earlier ...

Ed. Note: KHTS AM-1220 recently learned more than 400 Jet Propulsion Lab employees — 440 to be precise — live in the Santa Clarita Valley. These scientists, engineers and technicians from the SCV help further our understanding of science, technology and our universe with missions that look at questions such as whether Mars could have ever sustained small life forms. ...

Ed. Note: KHTS AM-1220 recently learned more than 400 Jet Propulsion Lab employees — 440 to be precise — live in the Santa Clarita Valley. These scientists, engineers and technicians from the SCV help further our understanding of science, technology and our universe with missions that look at questions such as whether Mars could have ever sustained small life forms. Over ...

Two local JPL employees gave Valley View Elementary students a hands-on way to learn about Mars rovers and exploration during special assemblies on Wednesday. Jennifer Trosper and Dennis young will be visiting four local schools this week.