young adult fiction

Commander Elizabeth Stratton Coyote 7 Mission to Mars

Coyote 7: Reflections on the Blue Origin Flight and Pioneering the Path to Mars

Join Elizabeth Stratton, Mission Commander of Coyote 7, as she trains for a groundbreaking Mars mission. Reflecting on Blue Origin’s April 14, 2025, space tourism flight and SpaceX’s reusable rockets, she highlights the need for bold space exploration. Coyote 7 tests Martian habitat technologies to ensure humanity thrives on Mars. Discover how Blue Origin and SpaceX drive the space race and why Coyote 7 is key to a multi-planetary future.

Coyote 7, Mission Control

Apr 164 min read

dr cody west astronaut and biologist on coyote 7 mission to mars

Terraforming Mars: A Biologist’s Blueprint for a Habitable Red Planet

Terraforming Mars: Dr. Cody West of Coyote 7 shares how we’ll warm the planet, build ecosystems, and face challenges to make Mars home.

Coyote 7, Mission Control

Apr 145 min read

stars blast by as ship travels at speed of light

Understanding Cosmic Distances: AU, Light-Years, and MPH Compared

Light-years (5.88T miles) dwarf AU (93M miles) for cosmic distances. At light speed, Mars is just 3.1-22.3 mins away vs. 7 months now

Coyote 7, Mission Control

Apr 33 min read

The space race is on!
Blue Origin’s all-female NS-31 flight on April 14, 2025, was watched by millions, while SpaceX’s reusable rockets and Mars-bound Starship are redefining exploration.

As Mission Commander of Coyote 7, I’m training to make Mars a reality—testing tech for Martian habitats, agriculture, and survival. Earth’s future depends on becoming multi-planetary. Join us at https://coyote7.org to support the mission! #Coyote7 #MarsMission #SpaceExploration

Dive into Coyote 7: Mission to Mars, a YA novel about teens forging a new world on the Red Planet. Get your copy and join the adventure!

Terraforming will be our biggest challenge on Mars, but we will get it done. Might take decades...

https://www.coyote7.org/post/dr-oyakawa-s-take-medical-challenges-of-prolonged-spaceflight

🔍 Dr. Elizabeth Stratton dives into the dangers of space junk that could jeopardize Coyote 7's Mars mission! From debris tracking to protective shields, check our team's efforts at: https://wix.to/J8f5rvP #SpaceDebris #MarsMission

Grok: Are there seasons on Mars?
Yes, Mars does have seasons, much like Earth, but they differ in some key ways due to Mars' unique characteristics. Mars experiences four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—in each of its hemispheres, caused by the tilt of its axis, which is about 25.19 degrees (compared to Earth's 23.5 degrees). This tilt means that, as Mars orbits the Sun, different parts of the planet receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout its year.

A Martian year is about 687 Earth days long (roughly twice as long as an Earth year), so each season lasts longer than its Earth counterpart. For example, in the northern hemisphere of Mars, spring lasts around 194 Earth days, summer about 178 days, autumn 142 days, and winter 154 days. These durations vary slightly between hemispheres because Mars' orbit is more elliptical than Earth's, causing seasonal lengths to differ depending on where the planet is in its orbit around the Sun.

The seasons on Mars also bring significant changes. In winter, temperatures can drop as low as -140°C (-220°F) near the poles, and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere freezes into polar ice caps. In summer, the ice caps partially sublimate (turn directly into gas), and temperatures can climb to around 20°C (68°F) near the equator. Dust storms are another seasonal feature, most common in spring and summer when the planet is closest to the Sun, heating the atmosphere and stirring up fine Martian dust.

So, yes, Mars has seasons, but they’re shaped by its longer year, elliptical orbit, and thin atmosphere, making them distinct from what we experience on Earth.

Get ready for an electrifying young adult action thriller that’s out of this world—literally!

Follow five exceptional teens handpicked for a daring mission to Mars, tasked with establishing the first interplanetary outpost.

Packed with heart-pounding adventure, unbreakable friendships, cutting-edge technology, and the power of teamwork, this story takes you on a wild ride.

But it’s not all smooth sailing—government intrigue and lurking danger threaten their every move. Will they succeed against the odds?

Stay tuned for the launch of Coyote 7 - Mission to Mars! Check back here for updates, sneak peeks, and more. You won’t want to miss this epic journey! #Coyote7 #MissionToMars #YAThriller

How AI Revolutionizes Space Exploration: Design, Navigation, Terraforming, and Communications

Dr Sanjay Patel AI and systems officer coyote 7 mission to mars

Could Mars ever feel like home? At Coyote 7, I’m betting on AI to make that dream a reality. Terraforming—the process of transforming hostile planets into habitable ones—is a colossal challenge, but artificial intelligence is our secret weapon. My team uses AI to simulate how releasing greenhouse gases could thicken Mars’ atmosphere, warming the planet over decades. These models don’t just guess—they optimize. Our algorithms calculate the exact mix of carbon dioxide and methane needed, predicting outcomes with stunning accuracy. It’s like playing chess with a planet’s climate, and AI is the grandmaster.

https://bit.ly/coyote7missiontomars

Statement from Dr. Roosevelt Broyles, Chief Engineer, Coyote 7: ESA Gaia Mission Decommissioning

March 27, 2025, marks the decommissioning of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia mission, a pivotal chapter in space exploration that began with its launch on December 19, 2013. For over a decade, Gaia has transformed our understanding of the Milky Way by cataloging over one billion stars—roughly 1% of the galaxy’s total stellar population—with unmatched precision. Utilizing dual optical telescopes and a billion-pixel camera, Gaia has measured stellar positions, distances, and motions while collecting data on brightness, temperature, and composition. This astrometry mission, stationed at the L2 Lagrange point 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, has also identified exoplanets, asteroids, and quasars, delivering key insights into stellar evolution and galactic structure through data releases like Gaia DR3 in June 2022.

As of March 27, 2025, Gaia’s operational phase ends due to the near depletion of its cold gas propellant, essential for maintaining its precise scanning orbit. The ESA’s European Space Operations Centre team has powered down its systems and transitioned the spacecraft into a stable retirement orbit around the Sun, a process known as passivation to prevent future interference with other missions. While Gaia’s active data collection has concluded, its legacy endures with upcoming releases—Gaia Data Release 4 in 2026 and Data Release 5 by 2030—set to further unravel the Milky Way’s formation and dynamics. Learn more about the decommissioning process on ESA’s official Gaia farewell page.

To the ESA Gaia team: on behalf of Coyote 7, I extend our profound appreciation. Your exceptional work and invaluable contributions to space exploration have redefined astrometry and provided a foundation for future discoveries. Gaia’s precise 3D map of the galaxy, detailed in resources like ESA’s Gaia overview, has not only charted the stars but also guided the trajectory of astronomical research. Thank you for your remarkable efforts and enduring impact.

Statement from Dr. Roosevelt Broyles, Chief Engineer, Coyote 7: ESA Gaia Mission Decommissioning

https:/coyote7.org

Today, March 27, 2025, marks the decommissioning of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia mission, a pivotal chapter in space exploration that began with its launch on December 19, 2013. For over a decade, Gaia has transformed our understanding of the Milky Way by cataloging over one billion stars—roughly 1% of the galaxy’s total stellar population—with unmatched precision. Utilizing dual optical telescopes and a billion-pixel camera, Gaia has measured stellar positions, distances, and motions while collecting data on brightness, temperature, and composition. This astrometry mission, stationed at the L2 Lagrange point 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, has also identified exoplanets, asteroids, and quasars, delivering key insights into stellar evolution and galactic structure through data releases like Gaia DR3 in June 2022.

As of today, Gaia’s operational phase ends due to the near depletion of its cold gas propellant, essential for maintaining its precise scanning orbit. The ESA’s European Space Operations Centre team has powered down its systems and transitioned the spacecraft into a stable retirement orbit around the Sun, a process known as passivation to prevent future interference with other missions. While Gaia’s active data collection has concluded, its legacy endures with upcoming releases—Gaia Data Release 4 in 2026 and Data Release 5 by 2030—set to further unravel the Milky Way’s formation and dynamics. Learn more about the decommissioning process on ESA’s official Gaia farewell page.

To the ESA Gaia team: on behalf of Coyote 7, I extend our profound appreciation. Your exceptional work and invaluable contributions to space exploration have redefined astrometry and provided a foundation for future discoveries. Gaia’s precise 3D map of the galaxy, detailed in resources like ESA’s Gaia overview, has not only charted the stars but also guided the trajectory of astronomical research. Thank you for your remarkable efforts and enduring impact.

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Coyote 7: Reflections on the Blue Origin Flight and Pioneering the Path to Mars

Terraforming Mars: A Biologist’s Blueprint for a Habitable Red Planet

Understanding Cosmic Distances: AU, Light-Years, and MPH Compared

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