Mark Austin
Author/Co-Author of 283 articles
Mark’s first encounter with high-tech was a TRS-80. He spent 20 years working for Nintendo and Xbox as a writer and corporate shill. He sucks at shooters and much prefers playing relaxing city builders and management sims.
Robot submarine discovers the ‘holy grail’ — a shipwreck with billions in gold
After being lost during a fierce naval battle 300 years ago, the location of the San José -- and the billions in treasure it carried -- has been a mystery to maritime historians and treasure hunters alike, until a high-tech robot submarine discovered the wreckage.
Air-fueled ion thruster could provide unlimited power for space missions
The prototype ion engine tested by ESA can create fuel out of this air, allowing satellites to stay in orbit indefinitely.
Amazon shuts down Anime Strike channel, rolls it over into Prime Video
Less than a year after its inception, Amazon has closed its Anime Strike channel and moved all the series and movies to Amazon Prime Video.
A luxury space hotel is now taking reservations — if you’ve got $10 million
Even if you don't have the "right stuff," you could still be an astronaut one day. Aurora Station, a space hotel planned for launch in four years, is now taking reservations for a 12-night stay.
Use pictures and GIFs to add some fun to your Facebook polls
Want to find out what your friends really think? A new feature lets you post a Facebook poll with wacky pictures or hilarious GIFs.
Watch NASA test the supersonic parachute for the 2020 Mars mission
In preparation for the next journey to the red planet, NASA tested a supersonic parachute deploying at nearly twice the speed of sound.
This 11-year-old on a mission to Mars is 2018’s ‘American Girl of the Year’
The newest collectible doll from American Girl was developed with assistance with NASA to help inspire young women to pursue STEM careers.
Did the Curiosity Rover just discover evidence of alien fossils on Mars?
A tiny formation in a Martian rock photographed by the Curiosity Rover may finally answer the question if there was once life on Mars.
NASA just tested the tiny nuclear reactor it could use for a Martian colony
NASA just tested a small nuclear reactor in the Nevada desert, hoping that it can be used for expeditions to the moon or even Mars.
NASA’s InSight lander passes its final tests, ready for the trip to Mars
After a two-year delay, NASA's InSight lander just completed its final testing phase and will soon be on its way to the red planet. The lander will study "Marsquakes" and other seismic activity during its two-year-long mission.
The Opportunity rover just celebrated 5,000 ‘sols’ on the Martian surface
A mission that was supposed to last three months has turned into a 14-year trek across the surface of the red planet. The Opportunity rover just watched the sun rise for the 5,000th time from the surface of Mars.
NASA reveals its plans to have astronauts orbiting the moon by 2025
At the Space Symposium conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, NASA outlined their plans for the Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway, a stepping stone for future missions to Mars. Test flights of the first components are planned for next year.
NASA and ESA will team up to bring Martian soil samples back to Earth
In a quest that could finally settle the question of whether there was ever life on Mars, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are pooling their resources for a bold three-part mission to retrieve soils samples from the surface of the red planet, launch them into orbit, and return them to laboratories on Earth.
‘Mars, here I come!’ NASA’s InSight launches on a six-month journey
NASA's InSight mission, developed to probe deep beneath the surface of Mars, began its 300-million mile journey to the red planet aboard an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The pre-dawn launch was a rare spectacle for West Coast residents and a first for NASA.
A miniature chemistry lab is headed to Mars to search for signs of life
The upcoming ExoMars mission, scheduled for launch in 2020, will include an entire chemistry lab shrunk down to the size of a toaster oven. The sophisticated spectrometer will analyze samples from below the Martian surface to search for organic molecules which could indicate there was once life on the red planet..
NASA will send a tiny drone helicopter to fly through the Martian skies
NASA has revealed that the Mars 2020 mission will include a remote-control "marscopter" along with the rover. The small chopper will deploy on the surface of the red planet for several test flights. If the tests of the tiny dual-rotor helicopter are successful, it will be the first atmospheric flight on another planet.
This home robot will clean your house, find your keys, then bring you a beer
Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show, the Aeolis home robot uses advanced AI to become an invaluable home companion.
Epic Games reveals when ‘Fortnite’ will finally come to Android
The biggest game of the year is about to get a whole lot bigger. After a mobile release on iOS back in March that raked in tens of millions of dollars, Epic Games announced the upcoming availability for Android gamers. Battle Royale is free to play and it's quickly taking the world by storm.
Behold the dreaded dragon-sharks in the full trailer for final Sharknado movie
It's time for Sharknado to finally jump the shark, as SyFy has announced that the upcoming sixth entry in the cult franchise will be the last. The finale premiering August 19 is sure to be a star-studded time-traveling adventure with Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Cassie Scerbo, and Vivica A. Fox.
Kepler space telescope’s last gasp is next week
The Kepler telescope is running on empty, and there's no way to fill up the tank. The mission engineers' last priority is retrieving the months of data stored onboard the spacecraft.
NASA’s planet-hunting satellite sends back its first image — and it’s amazing
A routine calibration camera test on NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission has produced a stunning image, capturing more than 200,000 stars in the southern sky. Future images will provide even more details as we search for signs of alien life.
Ford will auction off this Mustang inspired by RAF fighters from WWII
A one-of-a-kind 700-horsepower high-performance Ford Mustang with a livery scheme inspired by American pilots who flew for the RAF during World War II will be auctioned off. Ford has donated 11 vehicles to the EAA over the past 20 years, resulting in more than $3 million raised for the charity.
A huge meteorite just splashed into the ocean, and scientists want to find it
A two-ton rock from the depths of space just plunged into the Pacific Ocean, and researchers want to find it. Fortunately, an oceanic research vessel is nearby, and it’s ready to deploy its high-tech to aid in the search. The Nautilus contains sophisticated sensors and two remote-controlled submarines that can scour the seafloor for fragments.