It's now set for launch in 2017, when it will be joined by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), an addition to the International Space Station also selected as part of the Explorer program last week that will use a process called X-ray timing to study neutron stars.

ENGADGET: NASA gives planet-hunting TESS space telescope go-ahead for 2017 launch

We do wonder if the process of writing the 3 x 5-inch cards wasn't part of the learning, but this genuinely makes learning more fun, and that's something.

ENGADGET: Apple iBooks 2 textbook hands-on (video) Hands-on

In that process, the samples will be bombarded with X-rays.

FORBES: Curiosity Gets Its First Taste Of Martian Soil

Congress should, if it does anything with regard to "fixing the process" in the aftermath of the FS-X deal, ensure that an honest broker is created.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The FS-X Agreement

Will the experience of the FS-X debate lead to a more orderly and disciplined U.S. interagency process on future projects of a similar nature, in particular the systematic involvement of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative in negotiations over defense sales with the Japanese?

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The US-Japan FS-X Fighter Agreement: Assessing The Stakes

Panoramas consist of 4 pictures that are processed into a single 5525 x 1485-pixel image, and while the result is surprisingly high-res, the stitching process often reveals noticeable seams.

ENGADGET: Nokia Creative Studio brings panorama capture to Lumia handsets (hands-on)

It's said the process is similar to how a CT scan functions, but uses visible light instead of X-rays.

ENGADGET