The Curiosity rover returns



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NASA's Mars Curiosity train drove about 60 meters over the past weekend to a site called Lake Orcadie. It was the longest Curiosity campaign since September 15, the date a memory anomaly was committed.

NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Launcher sent this snapshot Tuesday (November 6, 2018). Image via NASA.
The lunar calendars of 2019 have arrived! Order yours before they leave. A wonderful gift.
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover is once again piloting science after experiencing a memory anomaly in September. The rover drove about 60 meters over the past weekend to a site called Orcadie Lake, pushing its total odometry to more than 20 kilometers. It was the longest ride of Curiosity since September 15, 2018, date of the day when a memory anomaly had been committed. The mobile rocked to a backup computer, called Side-A computer, Oct. 3.
Like many other spaceships, Curiosity was designed with two redundant computers – in this case, called side A and B computers – so that they could continue their operations in case of a problem. After considering several options, the JPL engineers recommended that the mobile move from side B to side A.
Self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity mobile, taken on Sol 2082 (June 15, 2018). A Martian dust storm reduced sunlight and visibility on the rover in Gale Crater. Image via NASA / JPL-Caltech.
The NASA Reaction Propulsion Laboratory Curiosity Engineering Team continues to diagnose the anomaly found on the B-side computer. Curiosity first used the Side A computer. , after landing on Mars in August 2012. Side More than five years ago, NASA was experiencing hardware and software problems, NASA said, leaving the mobile uncontrollable and unloading its battery. At that point, the team successfully switched to side B. The engineers have since diagnosed and quarantined the affected A side of the memory, so that the computer is available again for mission. Steven Lee of JPL is the Deputy Project Manager of Curiosity. Lee said in a statement:
At this point, we are certain to resume our operations, but it is too early to say when. We are working on the A side as of today, but it may take time to fully understand the root cause of the problem and find workarounds for the B-side memory.
We have spent last week checking Face A and preparing it. the swap. It is certainly possible to run the mission on the Side-A computer if we really need it. But our plan is to go back to face B as soon as we can solve the problem in order to use its largest memory size.
Result: NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has made its longest run since an anomaly in memory on September 15, 2018..
Via NASA

Eleanor Imster has been writing and editing EarthSky since 1995. She was an integral part of the award-winning EarthSky radio series from its inception until its closing in 2013. Today , editor-in-chief of EarthSky .org, she helps present the science and nature stories and the photos you love. She is also one of EarthSky's voices on social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and G +. She and her husband live in Tennessee and have two grown sons.

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