Hackaday Links: January 12, 2025

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The big news story of the week of course has been the wildfires in California, which as of Saturday have burned over 30,000 acres, destroyed 12,000 structures, caused 150,000 people …read more Continue reading Hackaday Links: January 12, 2025

Better rotors, higher heights thanks to NASA’s dual-planet presence

There aren’t any organizations other than NASA that can claim they are operating on two different planets (at least none we know of from here on Earth). The space agency is now using that reach to create better helicopter blades on Earth and to push th… Continue reading Better rotors, higher heights thanks to NASA’s dual-planet presence

Perseverance snaps photos of donut and cheese (-shaped rocks) on Mars

As far as landscapes go, Mars is pretty dull – it’s mostly just rocks and craters. But now the Perseverance rover has spotted a couple of particularly weird rocks that have been hollowed out in eerie shapes.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags:… Continue reading Perseverance snaps photos of donut and cheese (-shaped rocks) on Mars

NASA detects life’s rarest building block in water ice of Saturn’s moon

A new discovery has boosted the chances of life soon being found on another world. NASA has announced the detection of phosphorus, the rarest element that’s essential to life, in the oceans of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, Sc… Continue reading NASA detects life’s rarest building block in water ice of Saturn’s moon

NASA’s autonomous robot snake in search of life on an icy Saturn moon

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has created a self-propelled, autonomous robot snake designed to explore extreme extraterrestrial terrain. Its first-of-a-kind propulsion system means it can boldly go where no robot snake has gone before.Continue… Continue reading NASA’s autonomous robot snake in search of life on an icy Saturn moon

Ingenuity Mars helicopter celebrates 50 flights with new altitude record

The first aircraft to fly on another planet has hit a new milestone. NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has recently clocked up its 50th flight, and achieved a new altitude record in the process.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Mars, Helicop… Continue reading Ingenuity Mars helicopter celebrates 50 flights with new altitude record

Ingenuity Mars helicopter celebrates 50 flights with new altitude record

The first aircraft to fly on another planet has hit a new milestone. NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has recently clocked up its 50th flight, and achieved a new altitude record in the process.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Mars, Helicop… Continue reading Ingenuity Mars helicopter celebrates 50 flights with new altitude record

Perseverance drops first sample tube for potential return to Earth

It may look like a lightsaber sitting on the surface of Mars, but this titanium tube is actually a sample canister dropped off by the Perseverance rover. This could eventually be the first pristine sample of Martian soil and rock returned to Earth in a… Continue reading Perseverance drops first sample tube for potential return to Earth