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On April 20th, 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover made history by successfully depositing its first sample of Martian soil on the surface of the Red Planet. This milestone marks a significant step forward in the mission to understand the geology and past habitability of Mars, as well as pave the way for future human exploration of the planet. Perseverance, also known as the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, was launched on July 30th, 2020 and landed on Mars on February 18th, 2021. It is equipped with a suite of scientific instruments and tools designed to search for signs of ancient microbial life and collect samples of rock and soil for further analysis. One of the key objectives of the MSR mission is to search for evidence of past microbial life on Mars. Scientists believe that Mars may have once had conditions that were favorable for life, including liquid water and a stable climate. By analyzing samples of Martian soil and rock, researchers hope to learn more about the planet'

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash The recent controversy surrounding the alleged hacking and release of Twitter files belonging to prominent politicians and businesses has sparked intense debates and divided opinions. While the authenticity of the leaked information is still being investigated, the incident has shed light on the issue of political polarization and the manipulation of information to influence public opinion and elections. On one hand, there are those who believe that the Twitter files scandal and the revelations about Hunter Biden's business dealings are evidence of wrongdoing and corruption within the Democratic Party. They argue that the mainstream media has failed to adequately cover these stories, leading to a lack of transparency and accountability. Yikes! https://t.co/Qr0KyPuOYf — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2022 On the other hand, there are those who argue that the leaks and the focus on Hunter Biden are part of a coordinated effort to discredit the Dem

In a recent announcement, tech mogul Elon Musk stated that he will resign as CEO of Twitter, citing the negative impact that social media has had on his mental health and overall well-being. This decision has sparked a wider conversation about the role of social media in our lives and the potential downsides of constant online engagement. Musk is no stranger to controversy and has long been a polarizing figure on social media. His tweets have often made headlines, whether for their bold and sometimes outrageous content, or for the impact they have had on financial markets. However, in his statement announcing his departure from Twitter, Musk acknowledged the negative impact that social media has had on his life, saying that it "distracts from creativity and productivity." This admission is a reminder of the potential downsides of social media, which can often be addictive and all-consuming. While platforms like Twitter and Facebook can be useful for staying connected with fri

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash As the commercial space industry continues to grow and evolve, the race to explore and exploit the vast resources of space has become increasingly competitive. Companies and countries around the world are vying for a share of the lucrative space resource market, which is estimated to be worth trillions of dollars. While this competition can be fierce, it is also possible for competitors to be turned into partners, working together to advance the interests of the industry as a whole.                                         One key reason why competitors can easily be turned into partners in the space resource mining industry is the fact that the market is simply too large for any one company or country to dominate. With so much potential value at stake, it makes sense for companies and countries to work together to explore and exploit the resources of space. This can take the form of joint ventures, partnerships, and other collaborative arrangemen

As humanity continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, the need for resources and technologies to sustain long-term missions becomes increasingly evident. One such resource that has garnered significant attention in recent years is oxygen, a vital element that is essential for human survival. While oxygen can be found in abundance on Earth, it is a scarce resource on the Moon, making it a critical target for exploration and mining efforts. Recently, several companies and organizations have begun to investigate the possibility of mining lunar oxygen as a means of supporting future space missions. These efforts have the potential to revolutionize space exploration, as oxygen is not only essential for human life, but also for rocket propulsion and other technologies. As as a company at the forefront of this effort, Ararat Robotics is developing advanced robotics technologies for lunar mining. The Ararat Robotics team is working on a mission to send a robot to the Moon to extra

Photo by Aram Grigoryan on Unsplash Armenia is a small country located in the South Caucasus region, nestled between Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran. It has a rich history dating back to ancient times, and is home to a vibrant culture and highly educated population. However, Armenia has faced many challenges in recent years that have impacted its economic development and quality of life for its citizens. One major issue is the political landscape in Armenia, which has been marked by ongoing conflict and aggression from neighboring countries such as Azerbaijan and Turkey. These tensions have led to economic sanctions and blockades, which have had a negative impact on the country's GDP and overall economic growth. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges, as the country has struggled to provide adequate healthcare and support to its citizens during this difficult time. In addition to these external factors, Armenia has also faced significant historical repression, i

What is ChatGPT? About two weeks ago, I discovered ChatGPT . To answer what ChatGPT is I asked ChatGPT itself: ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence algorithm developed by OpenAI , a research organization focused on developing advanced AI technologies. It is a type of generative pre-training transformer, which means that it is designed to generate human-like text based on a large dataset of training data. ChatGPT is often used in chatbots and virtual assistants to provide realistic and personalized responses to user queries. It is trained on a wide range of data and can learn to understand and respond to natural language inputs in a conversational manner. OpenAI is known for developing advanced AI technologies and has made significant contributions to the field of machine learning and natural language processing. ChatGPT is just one example of their innovative work in this area. Example With that out of the way I figured I would give you a taste of what the platform has to offer. It ob

     Censorship is a predominant issue in Eastern Europe that reaches the Caucuses, where Armenia is located. Since the drop of the Soviet Union, Armenia has had an interesting and complicated relationship with Russia. Unlike Russia’s President Putin and the Kremlin's extreme censorship over media, Armenia is becoming more diverse after the Velvet Revolution, but the media remains schismatized. And while Armenians often face multiple levels of disinformation and fake news, the journalists in the country face numerous challenges that lead to additional poor coverage. Censorship against journalists in Armenia is a reminder of the echoing past of the Soviet Union; although the Velvet Revolution began to welcome democratic ideas of the western world, the government has still failed to reduce the media’s polarization.       Media in Armenia was relatively dictatorial and not free after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Armenian journalists then faced occasional threats, violence, and in

A new boom in the space industry driven by Elon Musk's, Jeff Bezos', and NASA's chase to seize the moon has created perfect conditions for sprouting space tech startups. In turn, the growing competition drives invention, allowing for faster acquisition of the needed tech to manifest the interplanetary existence of humankind and for small-scale startups, those spearheaded by Millennials and Gen-Z in particular, to have significant contributions.  The reason to look to that demographic, including current college students, is glaring: they are the ones who have the most skin in the game, being the generation that will inevitably feel the effects of the environmental changes, whose gears by the way, have already started turning. Artemis Student Challenge: NASA Selects University Teams to Build Technologies for the Moon’s Darkest Areas learn more here. Ararat Robotics and many others are at the center of this simmering pot aiming to take full advantage of the newly increased dem

On June 24th, 2021, Ararat Robotics presented at Batch 11 Demo Day at Starta Ventures . Among the attendees were staff, guests, industry experts, judges, mentors, and investors. We did not plan our participation, nor did we have any materialistic motivations. Instead, it was a spontaneous idea of the program director, Gabriel Arant , to grant an opportunity for a newly conceived idea to develop into something powerful.  It all started with our participation in the 2021 spring Starta Launchpad program, formerly known as the Starta Preaccelerator. At the time, our team was developing a business model and researching possible entry points into the space robotics industry. Going through a tailored guidance system for startup development, Starta Launchpad, was very fitting. Not only did we gain a comprehensive understanding of what it would take to go from idea to business, but we were doing it first hand. Along the process, we ran into significant roadblocks many times, some of which ar