The Science Quiz: Rovers on the moon and Mars
A: Apollo 15
Q: Name the eight‑wheeled rover the Soviet Union launched in 1970, which became the world's first robotic rover on the moon. From November 17, 1970, to September 14, 1971, the rover travelled 10 km across the bleak volcanic plains of Mare Imbrium and eventually beamed back more than 20,000 images.
A: Lunokhod 1
Q: Sojourner was a shoebox‑sized Mars rover that piggybacked on the NASA Pathfinder mission in 1997. The rover used X suspension, a new kind of system built for it, to traverse the red planet. Sojourner first proved that NASA could navigate and remotely operate wheeled robots on another planet. Name X.
A: Rocker-bogie
Q: Which Mars rover, originally slated to operate for 90 days, trekked nearly 45 km over 15 earth years, often through dust storms, and eventually discovered hematite spherules called blueberries? The rover also finally transmitted the haunting message: 'My battery is low and it's getting dark' before going silent in 2018.
A: Opportunity
Q: Name the plutonium‑powered rover that descended Mars's Gale Crater in 2012 using a dramatic sky‑crane. The rover was able to drill into mudstones on Mars's Mount Sharp, revealing that ancient lakes there once hosted the ingredients necessary for microbial life.
A: Curiosity
Q: Identify the six‑wheeled rover that rolled out from China's Chang'e‑4 lander onto the moon's far side in 2019, becoming the first robotic mission to access this part of the moon's surface. The rover used ground‑penetrating radar to study the layered megaregolith under its wheels.
A: Yutu-2
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We ended with the actual launch, the second attempt to send the SpaceX Dragon up after clouds and the threat of lightning thwarted the first try. In between were parties, photo ops, tours of space facilities, impromptu lunches and dinners, and late-night gatherings among disparate friend groups suddenly united. We infused these time-honored space traditions, though, with some of our own. Months ago, when Renita extended this precious invitation that comes with behind-the-scenes access to Kennedy Space Center, the astronauts, and the rocket launch itself, she did so not only because she's known me my whole life. Renita's father, Rupesh Saikia, emigrated from Assam in the 1960s, among the earliest pioneers of our tiny community on U.S. shores. He married Monju Aunty in 1966 and eventually settled in New Jersey, then Huntsville, Alabama. By the time my own father arrived in 1971, families like these were the ones who helped explain America, from foods and customs to bank transactions and mortgages. When my mom was pregnant with me, Renita's mother helped throw a baby shower combined with the Assamese ritual of panchamrit, blessings for the mother and child. As a child, I remember Renita coming over to color and play games with me and the long drives we'd take to go meet her family. 'I want you to be the Assamese rep,' Renita told me. 'The community has been so important for Mike and me…keeping some Assamese flavor in the mix would be so great.' And so I write these words, mission accomplished, with a sense of that obligation. It's really cool to attend a space launch, and I was aware of the privilege and once-in-a-lifetime nature of what I was experiencing. But at each and every event, I also felt an enormous responsibility to the many identities Mike and Renita straddle and inherit, and the one I happen to share. The Assamese infusion 'Do you know how to make that noise?' my friend Seebany Datta-Barua, another Assamese American at the launch, asked at the wave across. She was talking about uruli, the Assamese tradition of making a high-pitched sound by moving the tongue back and forth. We do this at weddings, festivals, moments of joy—and departures. 'I don't, but I can try,' I responded. And so we did. (It sounds like this) Seebany Datta-Barua holds a homemade sign in English and Assamese at an event for family and friends to wave goodbye to the astronauts.(S Mitra Kalita) Mike instantly responded by smiling in recognition, bowing his head and clasping his hands into a namaskar. My husband and I, Seebany, and her daughter also had very American signs spelling out M–I–K–E, but on the backside of one, Seebany had written, in Assamese, 'Mike, infinite blessings to you!' We planned our outfits to include elements of Assamese flair. On the day of a pre-launch celebration, we wore mekhela chadors, the signature two-piece Assamese garment. I hesitated, especially in Florida's 100-degree humidity, but my husband assured me the designs of the japi, an Assamese ornamental hat made of cane or bamboo, resembled flying saucers. Sold. We took NASA's life-size cardboard cutouts of Mike and adorned him in the ceremonial gamosa, a red-and-white cloth that we simultaneously use as towel, altar covering, offering and assertion of our identity.(S Mitra Kalita) This mission marks Mike's fourth journey to space, and he has taken the gamosa up before as one of his sentimental items. 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The flat hierarchy and sense of service are remarkable—and necessary—and challenge the oft-held notion that the smartest people in the room aren't always the most compassionate. Here, intellect and humanity are equal ingredients for success. I walked away from this week with new appreciation for space travel as a means of understanding what it means to be human. Perhaps that study of said humans attracts the best humans in the process because their examination actually begins with themselves—and their daily actions. So how many Assamese astronauts do you know? I know a guy who comes pretty close. S. Mitra Kalita is a veteran journalist, author, and commentator. This piece is published in collaboration with URL Media, a network of community media.
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This eclipse, however, will not be visible in North America. Regions expected to enjoy views of the September eclipse include Eastern Australia, parts of Antarctica, New Zealand, and several Pacific islands. The event is expected to treat viewers to a crescent-shaped sun as the moon partially obscures it. For those based in North America, the real spectacle arrives in August 2026. On August 12, a total solar eclipse will sweep across Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a narrow region in Portugal. A partial eclipse will be visible from broader regions, including Europe, Africa, and parts of North projections suggest that states such as California might miss out on even the partial view. Those keen to witness the phenomenon in full might consider traveling to regions along the eclipse path.A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun but doesn't align perfectly. This misalignment causes only a portion of the sun to be obscured. 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According to NASA, ordinary sunglasses do not offer adequate protection. Instead, eclipse glasses, compliant with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard, should be one must never look directly at the sun through a telescope, binoculars, or camera lens unless a certified solar filter is in place. The focused rays can severely damage the retina even through eclipse glasses if magnification devices are used there is no solar eclipse, partial, total, or annular, occurring on August 2, 2025, anywhere in North America or the world. This has been confirmed by NASA and the U.S. Naval Observatory. NASA has clarified that no eclipse of any kind is occurring on August 2, 2025. Their official eclipse calendar lists no solar or lunar events visible from the U.S. on that date.
