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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!

NASA/JPL-Caltech
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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Where To Move If Donald Trump Becomes President

Banner - Trump MapWalking down M, lost in ICC and even in the depth’s of Lau, you hear the whispers: “where will I move if Donald Trump becomes president?” As the impossibility of a President Trump becomes ever more likely, people throughout our 50 states, and even territories (@Puerto Rico & @Guam), find themselves asking the question. So if you’re looking to say “America, you’re fired” if the former reality TV star becomes the next holder of our nuclear codes, and move out of here fast, 4E has a few ideas of where you could go.*

*Disclaimer: this post was not sponsored by Trump Realty, but in fact is an attempt for a freshman to begin studying for Map of the Modern World, by choosing random countries to search on Wikipedia.

Many people have decided to go straight to Canada if January 2017 brings a Trump inauguration. But while Canada is close and has great maple syrup, it’s going to get crowded really quickly. Even The New York Times published an article entitled “Fleeing Trump (or Clinton): Look Out, Canada, Here They Come” following Super Tuesday. So Canada may not be an option much longer…

But there is no need to panic. We have plenty of options for you!

Gabon, is an African nation located on the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Libreville which in French means free city. If you choose Libreville, you will be free from Donald Trump, in this lovely city. aeriel view of Libreville Gabon Africa

Guyana. The capital of this South American country is Georgetown, so it’ll be like you never left! Except it will be, because Guayana has rainforests and beaches and not snow.

If you’re thinking Europe for your next home, but you don’t want a mainstream country like say France, try Liechtenstein! It’s central location (see below) makes traveling quite simple. This small country has “more registered companies than citizens” according to Wikipedia. But maybe we can change that when Donald Trump becomes president!

Location of  Liechtenstein  (green)in Europe  (dark grey)  –  [Legend]

Nation of Brunei, the Adobe of Peace, otherwise known as Brunei, is an Asian nation on the South China Sea. I don’t know about you, but just the name of this seaside state screams not Donald Trump’s America! 

If none of these countries appeal to you, there is no need to worry! Below are a few more options for the more ~adventurous~…

Space

The transportation logistics may be a bit complicated, but there is plenty of ~space~ so bring the whole family!

The Bermuda Triangle

The Island from Castaway

*You in five months

And when everywhere else is full and you’re about to lose all hope just create a time machine! Chilling with the dinosaurs may be a better option than Trump’s America.

 

Pictures: reddit.com, wikipedia.com, africa.com

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We Can Land on a Comet But We Can’t …

Comet Landing

As you may have heard, a few days ago the Rosetta probe successfully landed on a comet. Twitter users had a humorous response to mankind’s latest outer space feat, posting ridiculous things with the hashtag #WeCanLandOnACometButWeCant. We at 4E have compiled our own list of things we can’t do:

We can land on a comet but we can’t …

… get the USB in the port on the first try.

… find Waldo.

… stop Nicholas Cage from making movies.

… find washing machines that don’t eat our socks.

… make another Harry Potter movie.

… prevent the accidental photo like on Instagram.

… listen to Taylor Swift on Spotify.

… lick our elbows.

… dislike a post on Facebook.

… spread out our flex dollars over the semester.

… find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie pop.

… rub our tummies and pat our heads.

… decide whether Diet Coke is better or worse than regular Coke.

… pick up our omelettes when we’re supposed to.

… finish a whole stick of chapstick.

… stop missing Markel Starks.

… give our dominant hands presentable manicures.

… remember where we parked our cars.

… stop watching Snapchat stories.

… keep our headphones untangled.

… get restaurant reservations on Saturday at 8 p.m.

… finish our bottles of shampoo and conditioner at the same time.

… even

We get it, world. There is a comet out there somewhere with a probe on it. We can land on a comet. But just think of all the things we can’t do, and let’s get our priorities straight.

Photo: wikimedia.org