The Curiosity rover scoops its first sample of Martian rock last month. /NASA image
Looks like NASA is having its first OMG moment since landing the Curiosity rover on Mars last year. Due to a flash memory problem last week, the rover's main computer has been switched into a "safe mode" and a backup computer has been activated while NASA engineers try to figure out what's wrong.
March 5 Update:
- NASA reported progress in the effort to overcome a problem in Curiosity's primary "A-Side" computer. The Mars rover came out of computer "safe mode" March 2 and reactivated its high-gain antenna March 3. Curiosity could return to full operation this weekend, after engineers program the one-ton rover's "B-Side" computer to carry the mission.
- Computerworld.com reported the switchover of the operational software to Curiosity's backup computer is nearly complete: "At this point, NASA engineers are looking to keep Curiosity running on the B-Side system, while repairing the A-Side so it can be on stand-by as the new backup. NASA is on a deadline to get the rover fully functional before April 4, when communication with all Mars rovers and orbiters will end for about a month.
NASA press release
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