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Mars Rover Curiosity is Now Using Foursquare

NASA today announced that the Mars rover Curiosity has begun using Foursquare to “check in” on Mars. Curiosity checked-in from Gale Crater earlier today, marking the first check-in on anot...
Mars Rover Curiosity is Now Using Foursquare
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  • NASA today announced that the Mars rover Curiosity has begun using Foursquare to “check in” on Mars.

    Curiosity checked-in from Gale Crater earlier today, marking the first check-in on another planet. Foursquare users can follow the rover’s progress and see photos of its journey by “Liking” the Mars Curiosity Foursquare account. A Curiosity-themed badge earned by checking-in at science centers, laboratories, and museums will also be made available later this year.

    “NASA is using Foursquare as a tool to share the rover’s new locations while exploring Mars,” said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This will help to involve the public with the mission and give them a sense of the rover’s travels through Gale Crater.”

    While checking-in, the Curiosity Foursquare account also took the opportunity to provide some tips on its location:

    “Wish you weighed less? Visit the Red Planet. Because Mars is so much smaller, its gravity makes you weigh only 3/8 what you do on Earth.”

    “Mars is cold, dry and rocky. Extra moisturizer and sturdy shoes would be a good idea, plus oxygen for those of you who breathe.”

    This isn’t the first time an off-planet check-in has taken place. NASA and Foursquare have had a strategic partnership since 2010, and astronauts on the International Space Station have checked-in from orbit.

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