Remembering Neil Armstrong/ChemCam is Zapping Martian Rocks!

Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye the Science Guy join Mat Kaplan for a special remembrance of Neil Armstrong. Then we visit with the principal investigator for the first ray gun on Mars. Roger Wiens leads the ChemCam team that is using its powerful laser to zap and analyze Martian rocks. It’s just one of the Curiosity Rover success stories. Win a ChemCam bumper sticker and a Planetary Radio t-shirt in the weekly What’s Up space trivia contest!

Related Links

• Memories of Neil Armstrong
• Bill Nye:  Neil Armstrong Changed the World
• ChemCam on Mars
• Roger Wiens
• Lockheed Martin Innovate the Future Challenge

Trivia Contest

This week's prize is a ChemCam bumper sticker and a Planetary Radio t-shirt.

This week's question:
What was the first spacecraft to fly by Saturn?

To submit your answer:
Send an email no later than Monday, September 3, at 2 pm Pacific time to [email protected] containing:

Last week's question:
How long is the reach of the MSL Curiosity arm, measuring from the front of the rover body?

Answer:
The answer will be revealed next week.

Question from the week before:

Last week's question:
How many kilograms of plutonium dioxide are carried by the Curiosity rover?

Answer:
4.8 kilograms of plutonium dioxide