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Mars Perseverance

As some of you may have heard: Perseverance landed on Mars!

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Okay, okay, but what exactly is Perseverance? Doesn’t NASA already have a glorified toaster on Mars?

Well, it’s not just “a glorified toaster on Mars,” Perseverance is actively searching for signs of life on Mars! The rover is even sending back pictures from Mars!

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The first image from Perseverance!

According to NASA, “The rover’s goal is to study the site in detail for its past conditions and seek the very signs of past life,” as well as being a test run of new equipment that may be used in the future. Essentially, Perseverance is the first step toward all future Mars and space exploration missions, a true #girlboss.

One of the most important pieces of equipment on Perseverance is a dronelike helicopter: Ingenuity.

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Ingenuity is about 19 inches tall and designed to be very light, as Earth’s atmosphere is much denser than that of Mars, meaning it is much more difficult for Ingenuity to fly.

Should Ingenuity be successful on its mission, astronauts could use helicopters similar to Ingenuity in the future as scouts.

Thankfully, both Ingenuity and Perseverance survived the Feb. 18 landing and will be doing what they do best: searching for life on Mars and moving us forward into the age of space exploration.

For more updates on Perseverance, follow it on Twitter (@NASAPersevere). While you’re there, don’t forget to follow The Hoya (@thehoya) for news that is a bit more down to Earth.

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Throwback Thursday: Trump’s Presidential Bid

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More than a year ago today, on June 16, 2015, Donald J. Trump, the real estate mogul and reality TV star announced his presidential bid.

Fast forward some thirteen months, during which we’ve witnessed 403 spins of the earth, the development of Pokémon Go, the death of Prince, the continued rise of ISIS and the welcomed emergence of Mac n’ Cheetos, to the past few days… On July 21, 2016, our favorite head of hair to mock and its owner, Donald J. Trump, accepted the official GOP nomination for President of the United States.

Going back to a Mac n’ Cheetos-less time around a year ago, Trump’s bid announcement was met by many a comedic tweet. It is safe to say that since this spike in media coverage, the success of his campaign has come as somewhat of a surprise to many here in America and around the world. Let us go back to that fateful day in June of 2015 and ponder the things we would have thought to be just as feasible as Trump winning the nomination.

We would colonize Mars. While seemingly unlikely, this idea isn’t too far-fetched. Rumor has it: kids are already in training to be the first astronauts to go… or maybe this is just the making of the next Punk’d. Sound familiar?

A video game would infiltrate time and space.  Again, unlikely, but not unwarranted. To the surprise of parents and even global political leaders, Pokémon Go has made getting outside and playing video games at the same time a possibility.

Pigs would fly. While it may be physically impossible for pigs to grow wings and take off flying, it is likely that at some point today, a live pig will be on an airplane.

Britney Spears would make an unparalleled comeback rising to the top of the charts and maintaining her position as World Pop Idol for 100 days. This too, could happen.

Rather outlandish for sure, but not outside the realm of possibilities. There are many things we thought more feasible than the rise of Donald J. Trump. Moral of the story: Continue to think out-of-the-box, and before you know it, your dream/nightmare may very well become reality.

 

Photos/Gifs: giphy.com, www.cnn.com

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Weather Wusses? Actually, Yes.

Weather WussesToday, the Washington Post ran a piece by Clinton Yates that defended the District’s winter weather habits. The article argued that lack of regular snowfall, large amounts of commuter traffic and D.C. jurisdiction nightmares simply make winter storms a bit tough for the District. We don’t disagree with the logistics, be we at 4E do believe that D.C. is still a bunch of “weather wusses.” Here’s why:

Federal Government employees were given the option today to take unscheduled leave or work from home.

Winter Weather Mid AtlanticOthers also warned of the blustering cold, which would drop D.C. temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Things are looking chilly, folks!

Even Georgetown University had a delayed start today.

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That would all be fine and dandy…

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…except Boston just received approximately 14 inches of snow (compared to D.C.’s 2-5 inches).11730759313_81875100b0_b

And meanwhile in Canada, it’s been as cold as the surface of Mars.

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That’s right. Mars.

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In comparison, it looks like we’re the weather wusses after all.

Photos: thegrio.com, Washington Post, Georgetown University, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Universe Today, patriciaheatherington.blogspot.com