[ad_1]
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover drove about 60 meters over the past weekend to a site called Lake Orcadie. This is the longest Curiosity campaign since a memory anomaly on September 15th.
NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover sent this snapshot Tuesday (November 6, 2018). Image via NASA.
The lunar calendars 2019 are here! Order yours before they leave. Makes a great gift.
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover continues its scientific studies after encountering an anomaly in memory 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 drive in Curiosity since September 15, 2018, the day a memory anomaly was detected. The mobile went to a replacement computer, called a Side-A computer, on Oct. 3.
Like many spacecraft, Curiosity has been designed with two redundant computers, called here type A and B computers, to allow for continued operations in case of glitch. After considering several options, the JPL engineers recommended that the mobile move from side B to side A.
A self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity rover made 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 Curiosity engineering team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory 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 discharging 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 confident that we can 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 spent the last week reviewing Face A and preparing it for the exchange. 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 side B as soon as we can solve the problem in order to use its largest memory size.
As a result, NASA's Mars Curiosity rover made its longest run since a memory anomaly on September 15, 2018.
Via NASA
Eleanor Imster has been involved with the writing and editing of EarthSky since 1995. She has been an integral part of the award-winning EarthSky radio series since its inception until its end in 2013. Today As Editor-in-Chief of EarthSky.org, she helps present science and nature stories and photos that 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.
The original article can be found by clicking here
Source link
