European space researchers have discovered a bizarre phenomenon on Mars: thousands of dark formations resembling giant spiders crawling across the icy surface of the Red Planet. Images from ESA's Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter probes reveal that these are not alien life forms,

While the car-sized spacecraft flew around the Mars system, flight controllers on Earth temporarily lost communication with Hera because the signal was blocked. Though the blackout was planned for the maneuver, Ian Carnelli, the European Space Agency's Hera mission manager, said it was deeply emotional.