Mars Rover Checks In on Foursquare

Well, now NASA's rover on Mars is just showing off. Curiosity checked in on Foursquare today from the red planet, reports TechCrunch. "One check-in closer to being Mayor of Mars," reads the post from Gale Crater. The rover already is offering tips (bring moisturizer and oxygen), and you can track its posts and travels here.

A gimmick, sure, but also "pretty cool," writes TechCrunch's Drew Olanoff. For starters, it "shows off the power of geolocation technology." At Slate, Will Oremus thinks it's a "rather brilliant publicity stunt" for both NASA and Foursquare. "If only people's check-ins on earth were this interesting, I might actually join," he adds. (More Curiosity stories.)