I’ve been very busy, so today’s posts is a couple of links following up on previous posts as well as some shameless self-promotion.

In addition to my thoughts on the matter, here are some further arguments about why we need to be sending people and not robots to mars.

In the article, even Prof. Steve Squires, a Cornellian and prominent proponent of robotic planetary science missions admits the benefits:

 "The unfortunate truth is that most things our rovers can do in a perfect sol [Martian day], a human explorer on the scene could do in less than a minute."

The grasshopper flies again – higher and for longer.  Still the coolest inverted pendulum I’ve ever seen.

Finally, while significantly smaller in scale than the grasshopper, I made my own technological leap this week as well.