Sunday, January 25, 2004

Second Mars Rover Sends Pictures to Earth:
NASA's Opportunity rover zipped its first pictures of Mars to Earth early Sunday, delighting and puzzling scientists just hours after the spacecraft bounced to a landing on the opposite side of the red planet from its twin rover, Spirit. The pictures showed a surface smooth and dark red in some places, and strewn with fragmented slabs of light bedrock in others. Bounce marks apparently left by the rover's air bags when it landed were clearly visible
(from Associated Press, via Yahoo News).

Thursday, January 22, 2004

Everyone is affected by the weather, even space probes:
Rain in Australia could continue to delay signals that instruct the Spirit rover to drill into a Mars rock, a milestone for NASA missions on the Red Planet. The six-wheeled robot on Thursday or Friday is to grind away a tiny area of the weathered face of a sharply angled rock dubbed Adirondack. Examination of the rock beneath could offer clues to Mars' geologic past. But on Wednesday, NASA scientists said a thunderstorm near a Deep Space Network antenna in Canberra, Australia disrupted controllers' efforts to initiate the drilling
(from Associated Press, via Yahoo News).

Friday, January 16, 2004

Close-ups of Mars taken:
NASA's Spirit rover snapped its first close-ups Friday, using a combination camera and microscope mounted on its arm to photograph in minute detail the rust-colored soil of Mars
(from Associated Press, via Yahoo News).

Monday, January 5, 2004

Cool pictures from Mars!
2004 Economy looking up:
The economy is expected to grow in 2004 at the fastest pace in five years and add jobs, and stock prices are expected to continue to rise
(from USA Today, via Yahoo News).

Sunday, January 4, 2004

News of the odd:
Paris Hilton is the No. 1 fake name used by people calling for Domino's pizza deliveries in Washington, according to a survey of Domino's drivers in the capital. And 38 percent of those using the name of the socialite hotel heiress and reality television star ordered pepperoni topping. Attorney General John Ashcroft was No. 2 on the list of assumed names used by people ordering pizza
(from The International Herald Tribune).