Curiosity Rover Makes First Foursquare Check-In On Another Planet

cylonlover writes "NASA launched a strategic partnership with location-based social networking site foursquare in 2010 with the first-ever check-in from the International Space Station (ISS) by astronaut Doug Wheelock. Now the space agency has gone one better with the first check-in on another planet thanks to its Curiosity Mars rover. Since fellow foursquare users will have a hard time checking in on the Red Planet themselves, they'll instead be able to earn a Curiosity-themed badge for visiting locations relating to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The badge will be available later this year and is designed to spark the scientific curiosity of foursquare users by encouraging them to visit science centers, laboratories and museums."

Comments

Anything to generate interest in math and science

[slacka]

I'm fine with this as long as any revenue generated from this is going towards science or advancing NASA's missions.

Re:Most interesting part...

[ZeroSumHappiness]

From what I recall vaguely, Mars has some sort of GPS system set up. Searching it they use GPS towers that give GPS to a small area.

Re:What next?

[Antipater]

So what? Nobody cared about lunar geology or the LEM's stability problems, either. They cared about astronaut ice cream and a guy playing golf on the moon. If it weren't for stunts like this, nearly everyone would forget that we landed an SUV on Mars at all. When Curiosity tweets, or releases a Will.i.am single, or does something else that the public actually cares about, it reminds people how NASA can do awesome things.

Like it or not, the way to get more space funding is to put popular fads in space.