Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.

For the first time, space engineers have captured the sounds of laser shots being fired on another planet. And no, this isn’t science fiction. “I am thrilled to hear a real example of the pew-pew ...

Pew pew pew! Space and lasers go together like peanut butter and jelly, at least when it comes to science fiction. Surprisingly, the reality isn't all that far off. Sure, they don't really make "pew" ...

Perseverance keeps notching milestones on the Red Planet. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Breaking space news, the latest updates ...

On Wednesday, NASA released the first-ever recording of a laser firing on Mars. The recently landed Mars Perserance rover zapped a rock from 10 feet away. In the recording below, you can hear 30 zaps, ...

On Mars, the speed of sound depends on its pitch. All sound travels slower through Mars’ air compared with Earth’s. But the higher-pitched clacks of a laser zapping rocks travels slightly faster in ...

Unlike Earth, our cold neighbor has an atmosphere that's roughly 100 times less dense. That's why the sounds captured by NASA's Perseverance are greatly muffled. Still, the rover continues to listen ...

Ever since the Curiosity Mars rover landed on the red planet, we've been waiting for it to do something really cool. Sure it's been up there snapping away with its cameras like a tourist, but now it ...

Our growing list of sounds on Mars now includes lasers. NASA’s Perseverance rover has begun using its rock-zapping SuperCam instrument on the Red Planet, mission team members announced today (March 10 ...