Two news items here: July is the Month of Mars! There are 3 missions going to Mars this month as Earth and Mars are close to each other. The NASA mission will deliver a new rover which will gather samples to be returned at a later date - the first sample return mission to Mars. Secondly backpacks to help with your balance, inspired by space technology.

Looking up - 31 July 2020

Five minutes at the end of each week explores the big and the small questions in astronomy, cosmology, and space science. Hosted by Kechil Kirkham, no subject is too big or too small, and experts are regularly brought on board to illuminate and excite. Cape Town is the place to be for astronomy, with some of the largest telescopes in the world housed or being built not too far away. Looking Up takes advantage of the shoals of scientists and engineers working on the planet’s most advanced astronomy projects, who live and work right here in the Mother City. Kechil has recently acquired an MPhil in Space Studies at the University of Cape Town, and works in South Africa’s space industry on the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.