A giant landslide on Iapetus stretches halfway across a 75-mile (120 km) crater. CREDIT: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Scientists are hoping that long landslides visible on Saturn's moon Iapetus may provide clues to understand similar movements here on Earth, in particular how earthquake fault lines often slip farther than expected.  Scientists have concluded that flash heating could cause the falling ice to move 10 to 15 times farther than expected.

NASA's Cassini radar images show river networks draining into lakes in Titan's northern polar region. CREDIT: NASA/JPL/USGS

The thick and hazy atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, may hide a geological past similar to erosion seen on Earth according to a new study. 

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville studied images of Titan taken from the Cassini spacecraft and have investigated the erosion of its terrain over millions of years by rivers of liquid methane.

Tech-Stew Podcast #19: Bursting with Fruit Flavor Recorded on July 23rd, 2012

Summary: 

Windows 8 gets a general release date, Office 2013 Preview is ready for download, Yahoo gets hacked, AT&T announces Mobile Share, the Ouya Android console, Bionic eyes and more.

SKYLON, a concept space-plane from Reaction Engines Ltd., is a reusable single stage-to-orbit launch vehicle that uses revolutionary new engine technology.

Astrium Space Transportation and OHB AG will lead the design of a new heavy-lift vehicle for the European Space Agency (ESA).  This following a bidding war that included a third bidder, Reaction Engines Ltd. of Britain according to ESA director General Jean-Jacques Dordain.  This British bidder is a company that for more than 10 years has been designing a space plane called Skylon using a radical new single-stage engine design.

If you are getting excited for the forthcoming Mars Curiosity rover landing and the Seven Minutes of Terror that will precede the touchdown, then head over to your Xbox 360 and get Mars Rover Landing.  The free game requires a Kinect Motion controller and will test your skills on safely landing the Curiosity rover.

Previously we outlined the details of NASA's Curiosity rover mission to Mars.  We are now inching closer to the August 5th landing.  This landing will be the most intense planetary landing in the history of space travel.  It is also so unique and technically ambitious that even NASA engineers have called it crazy.  They say this mainly because its incredible.  The video below outlines why NASA engineers call the seven minutes to descend Mars in this landing as the "Seven Minutes of Terror."

Tech-Stew Podcast E18: Windows the Conqueror was recorded on Thursday June 21st, 2012.

Summary: 

Twitter goes offline, Windows Phone 8 details, Xbox 720 rumors, Microsoft Surface, iOS 6, black holes, RC airplanes and more.

With the growing interest in space tourism we now have another option that could be ready within a few years.  Another form of space tourism is coming that uses a giant helium balloon and would offer stunning views of the horizon and dark of space.  This is the promise of a Spanish company called Zero 2 Infinity.