Wide Angle: Welcoming Our Roving Mars Robot Overlords

If I had to choose what kind of robot I could be, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd be a Mars rover.

Why? Because planetary rovers are awesome!

I could be a deep space probe like Voyager... but that's a long, drawn-out death in the space between the stars. Although interstellar space is interesting for astrophysicists, from a robot's point of view, there's not a lot to do (except for pondering the Pioneer Effect).

I could be one of the planetary satellites like the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter or Venus Express... nah, my orbit would eventually decay, or I might get zapped by a cosmic ray, causing me to malfunction, knocking me into the atmosphere. I've never been fond of being cooked alive, followed by an impact at terminal velocity (if I don't burn up before, that is).

Although probes like New Horizons have an exciting job (who wouldn't want to see Pluto with their own eyes?!) and spacecraft like Cassini have a fun time scooting around planetary systems, Mars roving most appeals to me. Although I have a passion for Mars, I wouldn't settle for being a lander, I'd want wheels and I'd want to drive over that alien terrain.

Although the Mars Exploration Rovers are making the whole Mars roving thing look easy (Spirit is even doing it 5-wheel-style), it is far from that, requiring the best scientists, engineers and controllers to ensure our tough rovers can make it from one sol to the next.

So, in this Wide Angle, we're looking at what it takes to be a Mars rover (surprise!), and there will be some surprises in store. Have a look at the starting line-up (there's a lot more to come over the next two weeks):

The First Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Pictures Are Here!

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) launched on June 18 for a short trek to the moon. Only five days later, the LRO and companion spaceship, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), arrived in lunar orbit. On June 30, the LRO opened its eyes and started taking pictures of the cratered surface. Prepare yourself, you're about to see the first images transmitted to Earth from the LRO.

Ready? Here they are...

"Our first images were taken along the moon's terminator -- the dividing line between day and night -- making us initially unsure of how they would turn out," said Mark Robinson, the Principal Investigator of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC).

"Because of the deep shadowing, subtle topography is exaggerated, suggesting a craggy and inhospitable surface. In reality, the area is similar to the region where the Apollo 16 astronauts safely explored in 1972. While these are magnificent in their own right, the main message is that LROC is nearly ready to begin its mission."

These first images are of a region south of Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds), in the lunar highlands, and the detail is striking. These two photos have been extracted from a larger image and are 1.4km (0.84 miles) wide and features as small as 3 meters are resolved.

The reconnaissance mission has officially begun! The data collected from both LRO and LCROSS will aid future manned missions to the lunar surface; preparing detailed observations of the landscape (including the tantalizing opportunity to image the Apollo landing sites), seeking out water ice