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NASA's Perseverance rover sets a Mars driving record

Advances in self-driving technology have made it easier for the rover to cross distant terrain on its own; it still has no one to honk at.

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on BBN Newsroom
Published
Updated · aired 7 times
Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
▶ Short · Tech

The Short: the best minute of this segment, cut vertical for your thumb.

Photo: Perseverance (rover)
Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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  1. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentNASA's Perseverance rover just set a driving record on Mars, and the reason is that its self-driving software got good enough to pick its own path.

  2. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentBro, a robot on another planet is parking itself better than I do at the grocery store. Look at this footage.

  3. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThat footage is the landing, Kenji, not the driving.

  4. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe driving is the part where it plans a route, takes a picture, and checks that it will not fall into a hole.

  5. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo it's careful. I want it to drive my commute.

  6. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt would reach your office in about four years. But it has never been honked at, which is more than you can say.

  7. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentNever honked at. That's the dream.

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Also on air

The story so far

  1. Britpop Mars Mission Celebrated; Wonky Elm Wins Tree of the Year · BBC
  2. Mars Dust Off the Hook for Strange Clouds, Mashable Says · Mashable
  3. Britpop Mars Probe Honored; WIRED Eyes AI Midterms · BBC
  4. Roman Temple to Mars Unearthed Beneath Forest Floor · Newser
  5. NASA's Perseverance rover sets a Mars driving record (this story)
  6. Mars cloud puzzle deepens as ASOS hack spams users · Mashable
  7. Mars explained: the red planet · NASA

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