Guys, we now have a fully-functional laboratory on Mars.
Like, srsly.
Srsly you guys.
Srsly.
This is exiting news. The rover/laboratory Curiosity touched down on Mars just yesterday. (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0806-mars-curiosity-rover-landing-20120806,0,2608752.story)
Here's a quote from the article, describing Curiosity:
QuoteA six-wheeled, nuclear-powered geochemistry laboratory, Curiosity is the size of a small car — five times heavier and twice as long as previous Mars rovers. It is equipped with a suite of powerful instruments, including 17 cameras, lasers and a radiation detector. The rover can bore into rock and ingest samples, drawing them into an on-board chemistry lab and then sending the lab results home.
I WAS ASLEEP WHEN THIS WAS ALL TAKING PLACE!!!
Everything exciting happens when I go to bed early. The death of Osama Bin Laden, the fire down the street last month, and now this! I should go to bed late and see what happens.
But yes. I am very excited to see where this is going to help us advance.
Maybe you have a bad sleeping schedule in a less-than-helpful time zone. XD