This Is the Most Expensive Penny in the Universe [Space]

This is the most expensive penny in the Universe. It’s now on Mars, after an exciting $2.5 billion ride. Previously, the most expensive Lincoln penny in history was a 1943 copper-alloy cent that was sold for $1.7 million in a 1996 auction. That’s peanuts compared to the cost of putting this coin up there, however. More »

The Best Mars Panorama Yet Feels Just Like Being There [Mars]

This morning Hans Nyberg sent me the most impressive panorama I’ve seen of Mars yet, made from images released by NASA on August 27. Put it at full screen and look around. It’s just like being right there, but with oxygen and air conditioning. More »

Mars Curiosity Moves For the First Time [Mars]

The success of the Mars Curiosity rover continues. As this image just released buy NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows, Curiosity is now moving without any problem whatsoever. More »

Seven Years In the Life of One of the Engineers of the Mars Curiosity Rover [Video]

With all the excitement of the seven minutes of terror and glory, it’s easy to forget that there were seven years of suffering and hard work to make it all happen. Seven years of the life of people like Adam Steltzner or our friend Mark Rober, the iPad costume guy. More »

Talk to the Man Who Led Curiosity to the Surface of Mars: Adam Steltzner [Video]

By now you probably know his story: he’s the man who went from sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll to science’n’engineering, from playing the bass guitar in the Bay Area to the genius who led Curiosity to the surface of Mars, turning seven minutes of terror into total triumph. More »

Martian Mystery Solved [Video]

Earlier this week, a strange silhouette appeared on one of the early pictures taken by the Mars Curiosity rover’s Hazard-Avoidance Cams. Shortly after that picture was taken, the mysterious shadow was gone, causing a firestorm among conspiracy theorists worldwide. More »

First Color 360-Degree Panorama Sent By Curiosity Rover Shows No Sailors Fighting In the Dance Hall [Image Cache]

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. More »

Curiosity Opens Her Eyes for the First Time (Updated With Panorama Images) [Curiosity]

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 »