The European Space Agency marks 20 years of the Mars Express with a live look at what’s going down on the Red Planet. It takes up to 22 minutes for us to get “live” pictures of Mars down here on Earth, so not technically a livestream, but still pretty dang cool.
Updates in space! Mars probe gets an upgrade from Windows 98 software
We constantly remind you to keep your devices and gadgets updated, but there comes a time when that’s not enough.
Companies eventually drop support for older products and you’ll stop getting software updates. This can be dangerous, as those updates contain vital security patches, and without them, you’re vulnerable to cyberattacks. Tap or click here for outdated tech devices you need to get rid of.
On June 2, 2003, the European Space Agency (ESA) began a mission to explore signs of water on Mars. The spacecraft runs on software developed using Windows 98, and now, after nearly 20 years, it’s getting an update.
Mars Express has an excuse
We’ll forgive the Mars Express for being a little out of date. Its onboard instruments were developed using Windows 98, which was still quite popular at the time of launch (Microsoft dropped support for the OS in 2006).
Singer/songwriter/astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted about the update this week:
“We faced a number of challenges to improve the performance of MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding),” software engineer Carlo Nenna states in ESA’s blog post. “Not least because the MARSIS software was originally designed over 20 years ago, using a development environment based on Microsoft Windows 98!”
The new software was designed by Carlo and the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF). The upgrades will improve signal reception and data processing, which should result in better data sent back to Earth.
“The new software will help us more quickly and extensively study these regions in high resolution and confirm whether they are home to new sources of water on Mars. It really is like having a brand new instrument on board Mars Express almost 20 years after launch,” ESA Mars Express scientist Colin Wilson said.
© ESA/DLR/FU-Berlin-G.Neukum | Esa.int
MARSIS sends low-frequency radio waves toward Mars via a 40-meter long (about 130 feet) antenna. MARSIS discovered an underground reservoir on the Red Planet in 2018 and has since discovered three more water sources.
Always dreamed of going to space? Send your name to Mars
NASA has big plans for Mars in the coming decades. While humanity has been relatively grounded on Earth since our last rendezvous with the Moon in the late 1970s, our unmanned program is more expansive than ever.
And now, for 2020, we’re launching a brand new rover to Mars that will survey the red planet in brand new ways. Not only is it carrying some of the highest resolution cameras available on a spacecraft, but it’s also sampling soil for signs of ancient Martian life. Tap or click here to find out more about the new Mars rover.
He spent a year 'on Mars'
Last year, four NASA volunteers entered a Mars simulation in Houston. They just came out out isolation. Dr. Nathan Jones, the Crew Medical Officer of the mission, tells us what it was like. Plus, how to claim your Cash App settlement, and a Facebook missing person scam.
🚀 Streaming for science! A crew spent 378 days in a simulated Mars base, cut off from outside contact. How’d they pass the time? By watching a lot of TV. Turns out there’s a lot of downtime between experiments and farming your own food. They were probably binging “Friends” just to stay sane!
What human-made object is the farthest from Earth right now? Is it … A.) The International Space Station, B.) The Hubble Space Telescope, C.) Voyager 1 or D.) The Mars Rover?
8,815 objects
Shot into space in the past five years. Elon Musk is responsible for about 72% of that. Starlink satellites only have a five-year lifespan. Musk wants to put as many as 42,000 in orbit. Space junk could become a massive problem within our lifetime. At least we’ll have Mars or a new exoplanet. 🙄
NASA's new wheel technology is remarkable
NASA plans to return to the moon and Mars in the next decade. One of the issues it has run into is that a traditional wheel filled with air struggles on the rugged terrain of Mars. So, it developed an entirely new material perfect for getting around on rough surfaces. But how does it work and what makes it so different?
What did Elon Musk try for two days before he gave up? Was it … eating only carrots, getting his Ph.D., living in a Mars space simulator or saying “good enough” to any project?
NASA identifies the first “potentially habitable” planet: The James Webb Space Telescope found the exoplanet with an atmosphere 50 million light-years away. It’s 1.73 times the radius of Earth and 5.6 times its mass. Color-wise, it’s a cross between Mars and Jupiter. Isn’t that something?
🛰️ Something to ruin your sleep: Hackers’ newest target is outer space, where they could disable satellite GPS signals for airplanes, boats and cars … or take down all satellites providing the internet. The right mind could even corrupt planetary probe data, giving inaccurate atmospheric or water readings on Mars. Yikes.
Which of these is not a current NASA mission? Is it … A.) Chips that create 3D skin and organ tissue, B.) Fully automated plant growth on the ISS, C.) A shoebox-sized satellite studying the universe’s most powerful explosions or D.) Mars surface ocean exploration?
SWAT team raids Kim's house
Plus, Madeline Smith, with over 1,000 cheaters caught online, shares her insights on spotting an unfaithful spouse. Kim and Andrew will also cover NASA’s call for 4 volunteers for a Mars simulator and demystify some baffling Gen Z slang.
🚀 Live on “Mars”: NASA’s on the hunt for volunteers for a Mars simulation in Houston, kicking off in spring 2025. You’ll spend a year in a 3D-printed hut, doing space chores and farming, all in the name of science. Requirements: Be a U.S. citizen, age 30 to 55, with a STEM-related master’s degree and relevant experience. It’s a paid gig, but the salary’s a mystery.
Will we live on Mars someday?
Humans have long looked up in space and thought about how we could live among the stars one day. Right now, life on Mars would require a ton of equipment and shelter to protect us from the harsh environment. But what if we could make Mars more like Earth? How would we even do that? The answer is lasers!
iPhone secret tracking, train NASA AI, trade in your old tech
Bad news, iPhone users. There are two ways your phone can track you, even if you’ve turned off all those permissions. You can help train NASA’s Mars Rover AI and we’ll tell you how. Plus, a fast and easy way to trade in your old tech for money and discounts.
History on Mars, crypto 101, dream smart home tech
After a year of binge-watching, Netflix is losing subscribers. They have a new way to make money, and Kim has the details on how it could impact the movies you already love. Ben nerds out over the little rover-that-could flying on Mars, and the crew talks smart home tech. What would you buy if money were no object? And find out if Allie can fool the guys this week in Brand New or Not True.