Life on Mars? NASA Wants Your Help Finding It

Life on Mars? NASA Wants Your Help Finding It
by Chris Taylor on Mashable

Right now, the Curiosity Rover is sailing through space en route to the Red Planet. The one-ton, car-sized beast should hopefully land intact on the surface of Mars in early August, and we can’t wait to see what it finds. Neither can NASA.

But after the robot rover has combed, poked at and rolled over the rocky surface: what then? What’s the next step in finding life on Mars, and putting human life on the Martian surface in the next few decades — especially given the space agency’s unfortunate budget constraints?

Well, NASA announced its plans to draw up a Red Planet road map Friday — and you’re invited to contribute.

“Receiving input from our community is vital to energize the planning process,” Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters, told reporters on a conference call.

“We’ll integrate inputs to ensure the next steps for the Mars Exploration Program will support science, as well as longer-term human exploration and technology goals.”

As McCuistion spoke, five-time astronaut and NASA associate administrator John Grunsfeld tweeted this:

John Grunsfeld@SciAstro

Have a good idea about Mars exploration? we'd like to hear about it: lpi.usra.edu/meetings/marsc…

13 Apr 12

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The input process isn’t yet as public-friendly as it could be. That link takes you to the homepage of the“Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration” conference, to take place at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston in July. You can sign up to attend and to submit a paper.

But McCuistion promises there will be more web tools for public input, and that the conference will be broadcast live online. The resulting Martian road map will be released in August — around the same time Curiosity lands.

Grunsfeld and the rest of the NASA team seem to be taking a lemons-to-lemonade approach to the Obama administration’s budget cuts. “We’re forced into different strategies,” he said, “but that can help you find different solutions.”

In any case, finding some kind of life on Mars may boost NASA’s bottom line. “Based on observations in the last six months, it’s reasonable to think there may be life on Mars today,” Grunsfeld added.

“If there’s life already there, we have to understand the effect on humans. It’s not just the question of are we alone, it’s a question of safety … we want to enable a path to putting more life on Mars, ie. us.”

How do you think we should approach the Red Planet? Tell us — and NASA — in the comments.

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/04/13/nasa-mars-mission/

Intel and Nissan Bring Multitasking to Infiniti Vehicles

Intel and Nissan Bring Multitasking to Infiniti Vehicles
by Stan Schroeder on Mashable

Intel and Nissan have revealed an in-car infotainment system that will bring an interesting array of features to some Infiniti vehicles.

The system was revealed at the New York Auto Show and showcased within Nissan’s concept car, the Infiniti LE.

It will sport an Intel ATOM CPU and bring multitasking to the car: for example, the driver could receive traffic or navigation information, while feeding a movie to the passengers at the same time.

Other interesting features include the ability to control some aspects of the vehicle with a smartphone; for example, an NFC-enabled phone could let you into the car without a key.

Another example is the car sending a notification to the owner’s smartphone after another car bumps into it in a parking lot.

We can expect to see these features in high-end Infiniti vehicles, beginning in 2013.

Gilt.com’s Half-Price Car Deal Sells in 2.5 Seconds

Gilt.com’s Half-Price Car Deal Sells in 2.5 Seconds [VIDEO]
By Alissa Skelton For Mashable

If you want a half-price 2013 Infiniti JX crossover, get in line behind 4,600 people on the wait list. Though, getting in line won’t do much good either. This was a one-shot deal for charity.

Gilt Groupe offered one vehicle at half-price — $27,425 — at noon EST on Monday and one lucky person scooped up the vehicle in 2.5 seconds, said Caitlyn Carpanzano, a Gilt spokesperson. After six minutes, more than 2,000 people jumped on the waiting list, which reached 4,600 by 2:45 p.m. EST.

The brand-new vehicle retails at $54,850. Nissan won’t profit from the sale. Infiniti — a sponsor of NCAA Men’s Basketball — will donate $54,850 to Coaches vs. Cancer, an American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches effort to fight cancer and increase awareness about the disease.

Infiniti and Gilt also sold a limited number of VIP ticket and hotel packages for the final rounds of the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Packaged ranged from $800 to $3,500 and included travel, hotel and tickets. All packages sold out within an hour of going live on Gilt. Infiniti’s partnership with Gilt seems to be a way for Infiniti to brand itself as a luxury brand.

This isn’t the first time Gilt, a shopping site that offers deals on luxury items, has sold cars for a discounted price. Last October, Gilt sold a 2012 Range Rover Evoque Prestige. In December 2010, Gilt offered three Jettasfor $5,995.

The vehicle and NCAA tourney deals are open for 60 hours. But, it’s not likely you’ll get your hands on a shiny new vehicle or a trip to the NCAA tourney.

Image courtesy of Gilt.