Posted: Fri, Jun 5 5:55 AM ET (0955 GMT)
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft is in safe mode after its computer unexpectedly rebooted this week, project officials said Thursday. MRO's computer unexpectedly rebooted at 9:10 pm EDT Wednesday (0110 GMT Thursday), putting the spacecraft into a protective safe mode. The spacecraft is in good health overall and project officials said they expect normal observations to resume next week. The reboot is similar to one that took place in February, and in both cases project engineers believe that a cosmic ray hit triggered the reboot.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  NASA/JPL press release

Posted: Thu, May 28 5:50 AM ET (0950 GMT)
NASA's next Mars rover was formally renamed "Curiosity", the result of a student content and public poll. The spacecraft, previously known as the Mars Science Laboratory, is scheduled for launch in 2011. The new name was suggested by a 12-year-old Kansas student as part of an essay competition; the naming effort also included suggestions from project leaders and a non-binding online poll. The $2-billion Curiosity spacecraft will be the largest and most sophisticated rover ever sent to Mars, and will be designed to operate there for several years.

Related Links:

•  SPACE.com article
•  Florida Today article
•  NASA press release

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