Foursquare and NASA launch new Curiosity Explorer badge

If you're familiar with Foursquare then you know all about the "badges" that the service awards its users for checking into specific types of places multiple times. This time around, though, NASA and Foursquare have teamed up and launched a Curiosity rover-themed badge that users can earn for checking into science-related places frequently.

To earn the new Curiosity Explorer badge, users must "like" NASA on Foursquare and check in at a NASA visitor center or other venue categorized as a science museum or planetarium. The launch of the badge follows the October check-in on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover, which marked the first check-in on another planet.

This isn't the first time that NASA has been involved with Foursquare, though. NASA has been a member on Foursquare since 2010, thanks to a strategic partnership with the service. The partnership launched with astronaut Doug Wheelock's first-ever check-in from the International Space Station, and it has allowed users to connect with NASA.

This also isn't the first time that NASA has its own badge. The now-expired NASA Explorer badge encouraged users to explore NASA-related locations across the country, and it also included the launch of a NASA Foursquare page, where the organization continues to provide official tips and information about the space program.