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Aug 12, 2012 10:00 AM   The Mars Rover Curiosity may have been able to execute a staggeringly complex descent and stick the landing, but isn't exactly ready for the mission ahead of it, yet. First, it needs a good old fashioned software update. The update, or "brain transplant" as NASA calls it, will take place in steps over the course of several days, just like when you boot up your Windows computer. The goal is to outfit Curiosity with some software that's less about landing and more about getting around on the surface of an alien planet, specifically avoiding obstacles. NASA's Ben Cichy, a chief software engineer for the Mars Science Laboratory mission puts it this way: "We designed the mission from the start to be able to upgrade the software as needed for different phases of the mission. The flight software version Curiosity currently is using was really focused on landing the vehicle. It includes many capabilities we just don't need any more. It ...

The Mars Rover Curiousity landed safely this week, and surprisingly, some other things still managed to happen as well. Between massive security exploits regarding Amazon and Apple, a terrifyingly odd message written on an airplane wing, a stupid DMCA takedown, and yes, a bunch of Mars Rover stuff, a lot went down. Catch the juiciest bits below. This might just look like a microscope image of some strange, small life-form. But actually its a view of a massive 281-gigapixel image of a zebrafish embryo, which can be zoomed in on to show sub-cellular levels of detail. More » Great news keep coming from the red planet. Curiosity has opened her eyes for the first time. She took a good look around her and decided that life is good in Mars-albeit a bit lonely. More » Talk about a dealzmodo! DC resident Seth Horvitz bought a new HDTV on Amazon, but when he opened the peculiarly not-TV-shaped box, he found a $2,000 Sig Sauer SIG716 semi-automatic rifle instead, DCist reports. A mistake has be...

Aug 9, 2012 2:48 PM   Curiosity's day 3 on the Gale Crater, Mars. All systems are running as expected. There is no sign of sailors fighting in the dance hall, cavemen or any freaky show, and here's the first natural 360-degree color panorama image to prove it. It's a clear day on Mars. You can see Mount Sharp ahead of the rover, in the distance. That's the mission final destination, at the center of the Galer Crater. It shows some details from the rover itself: These is the end of the robotic arm. It's like a Swiss Army Knife, containing multiple instruments like the APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager). Here's the wheel of the rover. The marks of the sky crane's thrusters are clearly visible here. And here too. Here's the complete panorama—3653 x 755 pixels. Click to expand and see the whole thing: View the original article here This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line w...

When NASA goes to Mars, they really. Go. To. Mars. NASA has pulled out all the stops for the Curiosity Rover's recent decent to the surface. They aired the landing at Times Square and had William Shatner voice a promo video. They got Gizmodo reporters covering the landing live, and the coverage hasn't stopped yet. Unfortunately, the lesser mortals among us don't get invited to the Jet Propulsion Laboratories, and we probably won't live to see the day humans are casually exploring the surface. For our demographic, we need another way to explore Mars in our minds. That's where this Space Exploration Mars Rover Play Set comes in. Use the coupon code to get 50% off to control your own Mars Rover and plant the American flag with pride, and in your imagination the flag will never lose its color. • 17.3" HP Pavilion dv7-7010us AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M 2.3 GHz 6GB DDR3 750GB HDD for $690 with free shipping (normally $770 {Savings of $80 / 10% off}) • 17.3" Lenovo ...

Aug 7, 2012 6:40 PM   The Mars Rover Curiosity has been a huge success thus far, inducing cheers and high kicks across the nation. Jon Stewart is just as excited. The bits above that we cut from this episode of The Daily Show are only a fraction of the humorous riffing that Stewart engaged in last night, so follow the link and watch the rest. Nerd jokes and childlike glee abound. [The Daily Show] View the original article here This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.