Three Spacecraft Head to Mars

This summer, three unmanned spacecraft—the Perseverance (US), Tianwen-1 (China) and Hope Orbiter (United Arab Emirates)—are making the journey to Mars in order to explore. Helicopters, rovers, infrared spectrometers, cameras and other equipment aboard each craft will be controlled from Earth and all the data gathered will add to our ever-growing understanding of the red planet. The New York Times, via NASA, provides graphics for each …

First-Ever Photo of a Solar System Like Ours

Images of exoplanets are extremely uncommon, but even more rare is an image of such a planet as part of a greater solar system like ours. Astronomers, however, have just shared one such photo captured by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. The picture of TYC 8998-760-1, located approximately 300 light years from Earth, reveals “a Sun-like star, orbited by multiple exoplanets.” This set-up is remarkably …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Eco-friendly innovations, AI-produced portraits, upcycled watches and more fascinating tidbits from around the web

Industrial Designer Jexter Lim’s Adaptive Tableware for Visually Impaired People Singapore-based industrial designer Jexter Lim worked with visually impaired people on the development of Eatsy, his collection of adaptive tableware that streamlines eating and serving actions like scooping, aligning, pouring and transferring. The set consists of a plate, bowl, cup, and utensils—each of which incorporates subtle details that act as sensory cues and can be …