Gadgets Blog

The camera at the end of the robotic arm on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has its own calibration target, a smartphone-size plaque that looks like an eye chart supplemented with color chips and an attached penny.

Fuel, water, oxygen, air and most of the dry cargo have been loaded into ESA's third Automated Transfer Vehicle, Edoardo Amaldi, as the 9 March liftoff approaches. Since arrival at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, last August, the space ferry has been undergoing intensive preparations to fly to the International Space Station next month.

NASA and the American Physical Society (APS) have begun a partnership to share videos from the International Space Station with students, educators and science fans around the world. NASA astronaut Don Pettit, currently on the orbiting outpost as a member of the Expedition 30 crew, will use everyday objects from Earth to demonstrate physics through "Science off the Sphere" presentations.

Photo Courtesy of Armadillo Aerospace Caption: "View of the Rio Grande River valley from 239,000 ft (~50 mi) aboard Armadillo Aerospace's STIG-A rocket launched from Spaceport America, taken January 28, 2012."

A new augmented reality unit developed by ESA can provide just-in-time medical expertise to astronauts. All they need to do is put on a head-mounted display for 3D guidance in diagnosing problems or even performing surgery.

After endless hours of hard work, we managed to capture stunning views of our atmosphere and put a 'Lego' man into near space! Full video of the building process, launch and retrieval are in the works! http://www.facebook.com/legomaninspace

"Mars Images lets you browse the latest images from the Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover. Scroll through the thumbnails of the latest downlink from Mars and view any image in fullscreen mode. Send interesting images to your family and friends." iPad/iPhone | Android