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May 24, 2003
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Out of this world: earth seen from Mars
It's a unique view of our world: a pale blue disc, half in shadow, with the moon seemingly just a short distance away. The bright patch at the top of the disc is cloud swirling over North America. Further down to the right, clouds build over South America.
The image is a first, the view of Earth and its natural satellite snapped from Mars at a distance of 86m miles. It was taken by the Mars Global Surveyor, a Nasa probe that has been orbiting the red planet since September 1997, using cameras and magnetic sensors to map the surface.
One of its tasks has been to check the landing sites for Nasa's two Mars Exploration Rovers and Beagle 2, Britain's first mission to Mars, which launches from Kazakhstan on June 2.
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Uber-Soldier Needs Much Debugging
Thanks to their sleek, form-fitting battle suits, ordinary soldiers may someday turn into supermen.
Bullets won't stop them; neither will chemical attacks. Their nanotech-made muscles might let them jump higher and kick more butt than their opponents. And if they do somehow get hurt, the suit could immediately start to heal them and report their injuries back to headquarters.
At least, that's what a collection of industrial, academic and military bigwigs promise, as they gather here this week for the official launch of MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies.
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