For the first time, a man-made spacecraft has landed on an asteroid. On February 12, scientists guided the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft onto the surface of asteroid Eros, which the spacecraft had orbited for a year. Although there was some discussion of attempting to lift the spacecraft back off the surface , the researchers decided not to, because of a lack of fuel. The Atlantis shuttle has carried into space the new laboratory module for the international space station. NASA's 100th spacewalk took place this week, as part of the effort to install the Destiny lab.
Researchers disagree on just how much electricity is used by information technology.
Researchers at Sandia National Labs have designed a tiny robot with heat sensors, a camera, a microphone and a chemical microsensor. It is pictured above, sitting atop a coin. Several companies are testing the first avatars compatible with the Web, which will let people from around the world interact with virtual embodiments of one another.