| MARTIAL | Like the landscape currently being explored by NASA's Perseverance rover |
| MARS | Planet that's being explored by two NASA rovers |
| TITAN | Giant ice moon orbiting Saturn, scheduled to be explored by Nasa's Dragonfly spacecraft in 2034 (5) |
| ASHY | Like the landscape after a wild fire |
| NASA | Org. that launched the Perseverance rover in July 2020 |
| OLIVINE | Green mineral with the gem variety peridot that has been observed falling like rain by NASA's Spitzer telescope and discovered in moonrock and also on Mars (7) |
| ONEWAYMISSIONTOMARS | NASA... Perseverance rover's much-followed success in 2021 headlines: 4 wds. |
| ADRASTEA | Smallest of the four inner moons of Jupiter, discovered in 1979 in photographs taken by NASA's Voyager 2 space probe (8) |
| NAIAD | Innermost of the 16 moons of Neptune, discovered by NASA's Voyager 2 in 1989 (5) |
| CERES | Dwarf planet orbited by NASA's Dawn in 2015 |
| PLUTO | Dwarf planet photographed by NASA's New Horizons in 2015 |
| IBRC | State-owned bank formed by the merger of Irish Nationwide and Anglo-Irish, currently being investigated. (1,1,1,1) |
| MEGHANMARKLE | "Suits" actress currently being romanced by Prince Harry (and they're engaged): 2 wds. |
| KASHMIR | A region which is currently being occupied by three separate states |
| MARIA | Married name of the Weatherfield councillor currently being trolled (5,7) |
| WINDASS | Married name of the Weatherfield councillor currently being trolled (5,7) |
| ODDS | Calculations currently being set for the World Series |
| INSEASON | Like fruits and vegetables that are currently being harvested locally |
| NOSFERATU | Horror classic, currently being revamped by Robert Eggers (9) |
| ISLAND | Kirrin -; fictional locale explored by Enid Blyton's Famous Five gang that was inspired by the Dorset coast (6) |