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When the Curiosity Rover drives from one place to another on Mars, it leaves the letters JPL in Morse code on the surface. According to Dr Japie van Zyl, Associate Director: Project Formulation and Strategy at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), these markings on the wheels help engineers on earth calculate the distance the rover [...]

Want to hear about the Curiosity mission to Mars first-hand? InnovUS is hosting Dr Jakob van Zyl for a special lunch-time talk on campus. Dr van Zyl, an ex-Matie student, is a member of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory responsible for the Curiosity mission to Mars. When: Monday, 3 September 2012 Where: Reitz Hall, Faculty [...]

As a child in Namibia Dr Jakob (Japie) van Zyl used to stare at the stars and wonder if somewhere out there someone else was doing the same. Even then Dr Van Zyl, extraordinary professor at Stellenbosch University and Associate Director: Project Formulation and Strategy at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) Jet Propulsion Laboratory [...]