NASA’s Curiosity Rover Finds More Shiny Objects on Mars

                                          (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

When NASA’s Curiosity rover found a shiny object on Mars last week, researchers believed it was just part of the rover. But now, the rover has found more bright objects in Mars’ soil, leading NASA officials to believe it is something native to the planet.

NASA sent commands to Curiosity Monday to take a third sample of soil from Mars to learn more about the shiny objects.

“Confidence for going ahead with the third scooping was based on new assessment that other bright particles in the area are native Martian material,” NASA said in a statement. “One factor in that consideration is seeing some bright particles embedded in clods of Martian soil.”

SEE MORE: CURIOSITY’S FINDINGS ON MARS

The first sample taken on Oct. 7 found a shiny object that they determined was a piece of the rover. During the second scooping on Oct. 12, more bright objects were found in a hole made by the scooping, leading researchers to believe this is something native to mars.

“At that point when they first saw the bright particles in the hole created by the second scoop they weren’t sure what they were,” NASA spokesman, Guy Webster, told ABCNews.com.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Mars Rover Discovers Earth-Like Rock

                                                                               Image credit: MSSS/JPL-Caltech/NASA

The Curiosity rover surprised NASA engineers with its first Martian rock to examine. Scientists expected to find a rock similar to the ones seen on previous missions to Mars. But instead, they found a rock with a composition seen in many rocks on Earth.

“This rock is a close match in chemical composition to an unusual but well-known type of igneous rock found in many volcanic provinces on Earth,” said Edward Stolper of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena said in a NASA statement today. “With only one Martian rock of this type, it is difficult to know whether the same processes were involved, but it is a reasonable place to start thinking about its origin.”

According to NASA, rocks on Earth with a similar composition usually come from processes in the planet’s mantle and result from crystallization of water-rich magma at an elevated pressure.

As NASA said in a statement, rock compositions are important because they “tell stories about unseen environments and planetary processes.” Researchers hope that the discovery of varied rock composition on Mars will give insight into its past.

The rock is around the size of a football and is shaped like a pyramid.  It has been nicknamed “Jake Matijevic,” after a mission engineer who recently died.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Land Rover adds fuel economy to the Range Rover’s resume with 2013 hybrid

The Range Rover hybrid is projected to get 45 mpg on the European cycle, and it won't be making the trip across the pond.

The Land Rover Range Rover has never been a car for hippies, thanks to its big, thirsty V8 and considerable girth. Admittedly, there was never a reason to build a fuel-efficient luxury SUV. Land Rover is giving it a shot though, with a hybrid Range Rover based on the updated 2013 model.

The hybrid will combine Land Rover’s 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 with an electric motor and 1.7 kWh lithium ion battery pack, which will be housed under the SUV’s floor. Despite the Range Rover’s heavy footprint and blunt aerodynamics, Land Rover says the Range Rover hybrid will do 0 to 60 mph in under seven seconds.

The all-important fuel economy number is 45 mpg, on the European cycle, with emissions of 169 g/km of carbon dioxide. While a big SUV with the fuel economy of a small hatchback sounds incredible, keep in mind that cars tend to do better in European testing than EPA testing; Europe also uses Imperial gallons.

The Range Rover’s only conceivable competition are luxury SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid and Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, both of which are rated at 21 combined mpg on the EPA cycle.

The Range Rover hybrid will have one advantage over all other hybrids, though: it’s a Range Rover. That means unparalleled off-road capability, which should make an interesting test of hybrid technology. A hybrid is very fuel efficient while crawling through city traffic, but what about while crawling through the Amazon rainforest?

Unfortunately, this will be a moot point for American buyers. Land Rover will not sell the Range Rover hybrid in North America, because getting its turbodiesel V6 to comply with American regulations would require too many expensive modifications.

Americans will have to stick with the gas guzzling 5.0-liter V8, attached to the same eight-speed automatic transmission as the hybrid. However, Land Rover expects significant fuel economy gains for the conventional Range Rover, owing to its new aluminum body and the eight-speed transmission. The current Range Rover is rated at 12 mpg city and 18 mpg highway.

The Range Rover may not be the most politically correct car but, with or without a hybrid version, it’s still an impressive piece of kit. People buy these beasts for their luxury, off-road ability, and swagger, not fuel economy. Still, it would be nice to have it all.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Mars Rover Sends Stunning New Shots

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

The Mars rover Curiosity has sent some spectacular new images to Earth, giving a detailed view of the landing site in Mars Gale Crater and the surface of the red planet.  NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, mission control for the project, put them together in a giant mosaic.

“The mosaic, which stretches about 29,000 pixels across by 7,000 pixels high, includes 130 images taken on Aug. 8 and an additional 10 images taken on Aug. 19,” said JPL.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

The images have been combined to provide a 360 degree panoramic view of the landing site, including the 3.4 mile high Mount Sharp. Exploring Mount Sharp is one of Curiosity’s primary objectives, largely because previous spacecraft in orbit spotted evidence of possible past exposure to liquid water at the mountain’s base.

The Rover also made history by sending the first audio recording of a human voice from Mars to Earth. The voice was that of NASA administrator Charles Bolden, who congratulated the mission team on its success in getting the rover to Mars. In the recording, Bolden said, “Curiosity will bring benefits to Earth and inspire a new generation of scientists and explorers, as it prepares the way for a human mission in the not too distant future.”

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/AP Photo

Curiosity landed Gale Crater on Mars on Aug. 5. It is set to explore the crater over the next two years, looking, among other things, for evidence to determine whether the planet could have ever supported life. The rover, with a $2.5 billion budget, is equipped with an array of instruments to aid in its quest, including a rock-cutting laser and an onboard chemistry lab.

For more images from the Mars Rover Curiosity check out our slideshow.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

2013 Land Rover LR2: The Evoque’s sensible sibling

For 2013, Land Rover's compact LR2 gets a more efficient engine and a tech upgrade, but can it compete with the more stylish Range Rover Evoque?

Land Rover’s chic Evoque is an attention-getter, but it’s not the only compact SUV in Land Rover’s stable. The company still makes the LR2, formerly know as the Freelander, which offers a more traditional (and more generic) take on the small 4×4. The LR2 gets what Land Rover calls a “premium overhaul” for 2013.

Over the years, the original Freelander’s styling has morphed to accommodate Land Rover’s new styling cues. The 2013 LR2 continues that trend with some slight tweaks; only current LR2 owners will be able to spot the differences. It gets new LED headlights with detailing that vaguely echoes the Evoque’s and LR4’s. The grille also gets some extra brightwork, and the 17-inch wheels have been redesigned.

The real news is under the hood. The 2013 LR2 gets the Si4 GTDi 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four from the Evoque. Despite being smaller than the 2012 LR2’s 3.2-liter inline-six, the new four-banger is more powerful (240 hp and 260 lb-ft versus 230 hp and 234 lb-ft).

With two fewer cylinders, the new engine should also be more efficient. The current LR2 returns 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway in EPA testing. The Si4 returns 19/28 mpg city/highway in the slightly lighter Evoque.

The 2013 LR2 also gets a few interior upgrades as well. A redesigned center console features a seven-inch touch screen, and owners can crank tunes through a new sound system from Meridian.

The LR2 jumps on the voice recognition bandwagon with Land Rover’s “Say What You See” system, which uses visual prompts for drivers to select with voice commands. Other convenience features include “passive start,” which allows drivers to start the car remotely (the LR2 doesn’t even have a conventional ignition key) and an optional rear view camera.

These changes should keep the 2013 LR2 fresh, but will they make it a competitive entry in the luxury small SUV segment? Unlike the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLK, and Audi Q5, the LR2 has the off road abilities of a Land Rover. Unfortunately, so does another compact SUV.

The LR2’s nemesis may be the Evoque. Despite its less-butch looks, the Evoque has proven to be a competent off-roader. Under the skin, the LR2 and Evoque are very similar; they share a chassis (and now) an engine. However, The Evoque’s styling definitely makes more of an impression; it’s the perfect fashion item for Westchester or Los Angeles, where most of these SUVs dwell anyway.

The LR2’s upright roof makes it slightly larger, and much easier to get in and out of. So it makes more sense for families or people who want to use their SUV for more utilitarian purposes. In other words, the 2013 LR2 is the sensible counterpart to the Evoque.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Mars Rover Curiosity to Take First Test Drive

(NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The Mars rover Curiosity, which landed on the Martian surface on the night of Aug. 5, is about to take its first baby steps – or test drive, or whatever your preferred metaphor is – on the way to exploring the terrain around it.

Overnight, U.S. time, mission engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California said they plan to send Curiosity the computer commands to send it on its first short trip.  If everything works, it will move forward three meters (about 10 feet), turn right 90 degrees, and then back up a little bit.

That’s it.  But the longest journey begins with a single step.  Ultimately, NASA said it hopes the rover will be able to travel more than 100 yards per day over at least a two-year period, probing the Martian landscape for signs that it might once have been a home to microbial life.

“You will definitely see tracks,” said Mike Watkins, the mission manager, in a teleconference.  The first drive will tell controllers the rover’s six wheels are working properly, that it can turn in place as designed, and that it’s ready to move on later this week.

The test drive should last about half an hour.  It should take place in mid-afternoon, Mars time, when it’s warmest and the rover’s parts don’t have to be heated up.  NASA hopes there will be no surprises.

“We want to park it in a place we’ve imaged with our stereo cameras,” said Watkins, “just to make sure there’s nothing there.”

Controllers said they will be more bold over time.  The rover is in good shape so far after its nail-biter of a landing (recall the references to “seven minutes of terror” NASA promised) though a small wind detector is damaged.

Meanwhile, it’s almost summer-like at Gale Crater, where Curiosity put down.  Engineers reported the soil around the rover reached an afternoon high temperature of 37 degrees Fahrenheit on a recent Martian day, then dropped overnight to 131 degrees below zero.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

DT Daily: Curiosity fires up laser, SMS scam threatens iPhone

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August 20, 2012

• DT Daily Syndication

NASA's Curiosity rover fires its lasers, director Tony Scott commits suicide, a SMS scam hits the iPhone, Best Buy names a new CEO, and more.

Related Links:

• Mars Rover Opportunity Fires ChemCam Laser For First Time, Zaps ‘Coronation’ Martian Rock
• Official: British director Tony Scott dead after jumping from California bridge
• Apple: We can’t protect you from fake SMS messages, just use iMessage
• Best Buy Names Hospitality Executive as New Chief
• Sony Xperia SL
• StatCounter data shows Windows Phone overtaking Blackberry in US by November 2012
• CastleMiner Z becomes fastest selling Xbox LIVE Indie game

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Mars Rover Curiosity: First Road Trip Planned

NASA scientists today announced they’ve chosen the first two road trip destinations for the $2.5 billion Mars Curiosity rover.

The first site is a geologically-rich area known as “Glenelg” that lies about 550 yards from where Curiosity touched down almost two weeks ago.

After a series of instrument and wheel tests that will last for at least the next couple of weeks, the rover will begin driving toward Glenelg, named after a series of rock formations in northern Canada.

That journey, says project scientist John Grotzinger, should take about three to four weeks. (Curiosity’s top speed is only 1.5 inches per second, which ABC News researcher Natalie Savits calculated to equal 0.0823 miles per hour.)

Click Here for Pictures: Mars Curiosity Rover

After reaching Glenelg, Grotzinger says Curiosity will spend approximately six weeks using scoops, drills, cameras and lasers to examine rocks and soil for signs that a warmer and wetter Mars may have once supported microbial life.

By the end of December, Grotzinger says Curiosity should be ready for a much longer road trip to its next stop: the base of a three-mile-high mountain known as Mt. Sharp. The area is described as being very similar to the four corners area of the southwestern United States.

Both sites can be seen in this image taken from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, passing overhead, which scientists are excitedly referring to as their “treasure map.”

The name “Glenelg,” the admittedly-geeky science team points out, is a palindrome. (Try reading it backwards.)

“The important point about that,” Grotzinger explains, “is that once we get done with the science, [Curiosity] will have to pass trough that area again, so we get it both coming and going.”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

2013 Land Rover Range Rover gets tweaked styling and a lighter, aluminum body

Land Rover threw out the rule book with the Evoque, but the changes to its flagship Range Rover for 2013 are more conservative.

Not everyone needs to save fuel. For those who can afford an uncompromising blend of off-road performance and luxury, the Land Rover Range Rover really is in a class of one. For 2013, Land Rover is giving this brute a refresh.

After the shockingly different Evoque, the company obviously felt that major changes to its flagship model would be too much. The 2013 Range Rover retains its classic boxy profile, but with a few adjustments. The front end used to be upright, but now it’s more rounded to bring the Range Rover in line with the Evoque. The formerly square headlights and taillights now have little tails, again, copied from the Evoque.

The 2013 model still looks like a Range Rover, and that’s why the Evoque styling cues don’t exactly jibe with the rest of the body. The vents just below the headlights look out of place too, like they were stuck on at the last minute to make the massive front bumper seem smaller.

Styling aside, the 2013 Range Rover gets several mechanical updates that should make it a more capable vehicle. The body may look the same as the 2012, but it’s completely new. Land Rover scrapped the old model’s steel monocoque for an aluminum one, which will save weight and improve fuel economy. The company says 2013 Range Rovers are 39 percent lighter than 2012s; a U.S.-spec model should be about 700 pounds lighter than last year’s model.

Under the hood, the 2013 Range Rover retains the 5.0-liter naturally aspirated and supercharged V8s from the 2012 model, with the same 510 and 375 horsepower, respectively. However, both engines are hooked up to a new transmission: an eight-speed automatic replaces the old six-speed.

The 2013 Range Rover sends its power to all four wheels through an electronic two-speed transfer case. It also gets a revised air suspension system, which can raise the SUV’s ride height on command for off-road driving.

What sets the Range Rover apart from other luxury SUVs is its off-road prowess so, Land Rover will continue to offer its Terrain Response system in 2013 models. The system automatically adjusts the traction control, throttle response, and other settings based on the surface the vehicle is traveling over.

All of this will be controlled from a restyled interior. Like the exterior, the 2013 Range Rover’s interior combines traditional Range Rover design elements with some bits of the Evoque. The small Land Rover’s leather-wrapped dashboard, floating touch screen, and gear knob (first seen on the Jaguar XF) will make their way into the Range Rover. The 2013 model is also more spacious, with an extra 4.7-inches of rear legroom.

The 2013 Range Rover isn’t a dramatic departure from previous models, but there wasn’t much that needed changing. It will be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September, and it will hit American shores in December, or possibly January 2013.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com