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NASA's Perseverance rover has taken its first drive on Mars, just weeks after landing on the Red Planet. The one-tonne robot travelled 21.3ft (6.5m) in a mobility test that the space agency said will allow the checking and calibrating of the rover's systems and instruments. Once Perseverance really gets going, it is expected to undertake regular commutes of 656ft (200m) or more. Could NASA robot prove life on Red Planet? Anais Zarifian, Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mobility test bed engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said: "When it comes to wheeled vehicles on other planets, there are few first-time events that measure up in significance to that of the first drive. "This was our first chance to 'kick the tyres' and take Perseverance out for a spin." Advertisement And the news was good: Ms Zarifian said the rover's six-wheel drive "responded superbly", adding: "We are now confident our drive system is good to … [Read more...] about ‘I’m on the move!’: NASA’s Perseverance rover takes its first test drive on Mars

The Perseverance rover hit a new milestone this week, taking its first test drive on the red planet, NASA announced on Friday. The Mars rover ventured drove 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in 33 minutes, the US space agency said. In total, the six-wheeled, car-sized astrobiology probe moved forward 4 meters, turned in place to the left and then backed up another 2.5 meters to park temporarily. The rover "responded superbly," said NASA engineer Anais Zarifian. "We are now confident our drive system is good to go, capable of taking us wherever the science leads us over the next two years." What's next for Perseverance? Some additional, short-distance test driving was planned for Friday. Perseverance is capable of averaging 200 meters (656 feet) of driving per day once it starts its scientific exploration. So far, the rover and its hardware, including its main robot arm, appear to be operating flawlessly, said Robert Hogg, deputy mission manager. Engineers still have … [Read more...] about Mars: NASA rover Perseverance completes first drive

After a disappointing end to his six-season tenure at Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel is looking to get back on track, eyes firmly fixed on the future. "I'm not too bothered about Ferrari," the four-time world champion told DW. "Much more, I'm looking to extract the maximum of our potential and that we are able to grow as a team. I'm confident we can overtake more than one Ferrari this season. I don't really spend time looking back, I'm spending time looking forward to the new challenge, trying to find that little detail that can help us improve." Vettel's new chapter The team he has chosen to represent next is itself undergoing another fresh start, following its third rebrand in as many years. Aston Martin, famed for being the car of choice for the James Bond franchise, is marking its return to the grid after a 61-year hiatus. Read more: Aston Martin look to shake up Formula 1 "I'm not James Bond and I'm sure I will drive a lot faster than James Bond does. I think we … [Read more...] about Sebastian Vettel: ‘I will drive a lot faster than James Bond’

The Royal College of Nursing is setting up an emergency fund for strike action over the proposed 1% NHS pay rise. The drum beat towards industrial action in the health service appears to have started after Unite also said it will consider holding ballots. Workers are furious at the proposal from the Government which would amount to a real terms pay cut after inflation. The Department of Health and Social Care has submitted its proposal to the NHS pay review body, which will decide in May how much of a salary uplift the vast majority of NHS staff across the UK should get in 2021-22. The 1% rise would apply to all staff apart from junior doctors, GPs and dentists. Do you have a view on this story? Let us know in the comments below. After the news was slipped out on Thursday afternoon the RCN convened an emergency meeting on Friday and voted unanimously to set up a £35 million Industrial Action fund. The strike fund could be used to pay members if they lose income in … [Read more...] about Nurses threaten to strike over ‘insulting’ 1% NHS pay rise as £35m fund set up

A "callous" drug dealer mowed down and killed a much loved grandmother after losing control of his car and veering on to the wrong side of a road. Mohammed Ishfaq, who was being pursued by two other cars at the time, drove off from the scene and then got another drug dealer to burn the car and try and take the blame for what he had done. Ishfaq, 34, of Lozells, Birmingham, who admitted causing the death of Krishna Droch by dangerous driving, was jailed for six years and three months. He was also banned from the roads for 10 years, Birmingham Mail reports . Ishfaq had been living with Darren Holness who were both "users and dealers of drugs" and he had bought a Vauxhall Zafira about a week before the incident. Mark Heywood, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said: "On the morning of November 9 2017 the two men began their preparations to go out and deal from that car. "Both had taken the same sort of drugs, a mixture of heroin, crack and mamba." He said their … [Read more...] about Drug dealer killed ‘much loved’ grandmother after losing control of car in chase