Archive by date | August 2012

NASA Curiosity rover fires its laser

NASA Curiosity rover fires its laser

It wasn’t a drive-by shooting, because it hasn’t moved an inch yet. But that’s about to change. On 19 August, the Mars Curiosity rover tested out the laser on its ChemCam instrument for the first time. The laser fired 30 pulses within 10 seconds at a fist-sized rock nicknamed “Coronation” (pictured), and a camera recorded the spectra of the induced sparks.  Read more

NASA selects mission to explore interior of Mars

NASA selects mission to explore interior of Mars

NASA will be landing on Mars again. Just weeks after the successful landing of the Mars rover Curiosity, NASA on Tuesday announced that it had selected a mission that in 2016 would land near the equator of Mars in order to listen to the tremors rumbling through the planet’s interior. The $425 million mission, called InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) could expect to hear quakes as large as magnitude 4.5 or 5 in its two-year mission.  Read more

Tilapia standard showcases continuing growth of aquaculture

Tilapia standard showcases continuing growth of aquaculture

The first farmed fish certified under a standard backed by one of the world’s biggest conservation groups hits the market today, showcasing the continued rise in the importance of aquaculture, or fish farming.  Read more