Submitted by Don Doman.
Mother very thoughtfully made a jelly sandwich under no protest. That’s a mnemonic device for remembering the planets in our solar system in order from our sun outward (Mercury, Venus, Terra, Mars, asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranis, Neptune, Pluto). We are the third planet from the sun, and the fourth smallest planet. Mars is the second smallest planet, but Mars has long been an attraction for people. Mars . . . the angry planet . . . the red planet. Mars was the god of war. The planet Mars has long tickled our curiosity. Seven robotic “rovers” with imaging equipment and telecommunication, have been sent to Mars since 1971. Images and reports have triggered our imaginations ever since. The latest rover, Curiosity was sent in 2010.
Any news from Mars catches our eyes. Russia believes they will be able to have military, robotic tanks operate some time in the future. In the mean time there are two things that are attractive Mars products. One is a training game for managers and teams:
“You don’t have to leave earth for stellar skill development. Long gone are the days where collaboration served as an intermittent, as-needed approach to conquering company initiatives. Employers have become increasingly aware of its widespread benefits and have grown to value it as a constant in the workplace – encouraging collaborative behaviors and even going so far as to redesign workspaces to stimulate it. However, some people need to see it in action and practice it for themselves before they can fully embrace its benefits.” – Mars Rover Challenge Game
by Eileen M. Russo, Ph.D. and Matthew P. Eckler – the game is available from Ideas and Training here in Tacoma – ideasandtraining.com/Business-Training-Games.html#msr_leader
The second interesting Mars product is a build-it-yourself Curiosity Rover. Using scaled down plans from Jet Propulsion Laboratory (California Institute of Technology), you can have almost the same suspension system as the actual Curiosity Rover. You can assemble the whole thing at home in your garage at a cost of around $2,500. – opensourcerover.jpl.nasa.gov/#!/home
What better way to prepare for the future than playing games about leadership and Mars while developing drone capabilities? Make tracks, Mars is waiting just for you.
