TIME's Best Inventions of 2008
From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world's first moving skyscraper — here are TIME's picks for the top innovations of 2008
18. The New Mars Rover
The last two rovers the U.S. sent to Mars are still running more than four years later. The next one, the Mars Science Laboratory (most boring rover name ever!), is even tougher. Launching in 2009, it is 9 ft. (2.7 m) long, runs on a chunk of plutonium and carries 176 lb. (80 kg) of scientific instruments, including a neutron gun — for firing at the ground to detect permafrost, not at hostile Martians.
See pictures of Mars' patterns.
View the full list for "TIME's Best Inventions of 2008"Latest Lists
Most Popular »
- The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell
- The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
- Scientology : The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power
- Black Friday Sales Were Encouraging, Retailers Say
- Will Dubai's Financial Problems Spread?
- Germany's Doubts About Afghanistan Grow After Revelations About Air Strike
- How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time
- Why Big Shopping Bargains Are Bad News For America
- Obama's 'Mistakes': Way Too Early to Judge
- Behind the Philippines' Maguindanao Massacre
- The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell
- The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
- How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time
- Will Dubai's Financial Problems Spread?
- Why Big Shopping Bargains Are Bad News For America
- Energizer Bunnies: Turning Rabbits into Green Fuel
- Black Friday Sales Were Encouraging, Retailers Say
- Scientology : The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power
- Is Gene Therapy Finally Ready for Prime Time?
- Behind the Philippines' Maguindanao Massacre
RSS