ICYMI: The ESA’s mission to Mars launches next week

Today on In Case You Missed It: The European Space Agency and Russia are joining up to launch their ExoMars project next week, which will look for traces of extraterrestrial life on the red planet. Meanwhile, a newer kind of wind energy harvester i...

ICYMI: Brightest X-ray laser, 3D printing cartilage and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: Stanford's National Accelerator Laboratory is upgrading a laser beam to make it the brightest X-ray laser in the world, enabling all sorts of as-yet unseen science. Popular Chinese phone maker Xiaomi makes a ceramic-...

ICYMI: Brightest X-ray laser, 3D printing cartilage and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: Stanford's National Accelerator Laboratory is upgrading a laser beam to make it the brightest X-ray laser in the world, enabling all sorts of as-yet unseen science. Popular Chinese phone maker Xiaomi makes a ceramic-...

ICYMI: The Martian colony plan, simulated rat brain and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: We are rounding up Space Week with NASA's detailed plan to get earthlings to settle on Mars. Meanwhile other scientists teamed up to unravel how a rat's brain works, to then simulate it with a computer. Early testing...

Visualized: Curiosity rover’s self-portrait

DNP Visualized Curiosity rover selfportrait

No, Disney isn't working on Wall-E the live action movie. Pictured above is a self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity rover resting in the Gale crater of Mars. Showcasing some extreme detail, this high-res photo was captured by the Red Planet roller's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), with its native image clocking in at 5,463 x 7,595 pixels. The picture's Martian backdrop consists of a trail of freshly made tire tracks with a glimpse of Curiosity's future destination Mount Sharp hanging out in the distance. If you gaze deeply into the unmanned craft's soulless robotic eye, you'll catch a reflection of Mars staring right back at you. To get a closer look at our favorite Martian in all of its uncompressed glory, you can snag the 125MB image file from the second source link below.

[Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems]

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Visualized: Curiosity rover's self-portrait originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA’s Curiosity rover checks in on Foursquare, gives Mars its first mayor

DNP Foursquare is out of this world, as Curiosity checks in at the Red Planet

Yes, seriously. NASA announced on Wednesday that its Curiosity rover had "checked in" on Mars via Foursquare. Marking the first check in from another world, the robotic rover will utilize the location-minded social network to share updates and pictures while visiting the Red Planet. While Curiosity will continue to explore the possibilities of Mars being able to sustain life, it would appear that the fourth planet from the sun just got a brand new mayor. Something tells us the universe's rarest badge is about to be bestowed.

Continue reading NASA's Curiosity rover checks in on Foursquare, gives Mars its first mayor

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NASA's Curiosity rover checks in on Foursquare, gives Mars its first mayor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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