Spirit rover resumes driving
Posted: Thu, Feb 5, 2009, 5:23 AM ET (1023 GMT)
NASA's Mars rover Spirit has resumed driving after being sidelines for several days by a mysterious glitch. The rover moved about 30 centimeters Saturday, the first movement by Spirit since the spacecraft suffered a glitch a week earlier that prevented it from storing data and orienting itself properly. While ground controllers were able to get the spacecraft properly oriented again, they have determined what caused the problems to begin in the first place. Project managers speculate that a cosmic ray hit may have caused the rover to turn off its flash memory. Spirit, designed to operate for only 90 days, has now been on the Red Planet for over 1,800 Martian days.
NASA's Mars rover Spirit has resumed driving after being sidelines for several days by a mysterious glitch. The rover moved about 30 centimeters Saturday, the first movement by Spirit since the spacecraft suffered a glitch a week earlier that prevented it from storing data and orienting itself properly. While ground controllers were able to get the spacecraft properly oriented again, they have determined what caused the problems to begin in the first place. Project managers speculate that a cosmic ray hit may have caused the rover to turn off its flash memory. Spirit, designed to operate for only 90 days, has now been on the Red Planet for over 1,800 Martian days.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, March 19
Firefly Aerospace Selected for the 2025 Robert J. Collier Trophy
National Aeronautic Association — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) Satellite development begins for EUMETSAT Polar System – Sterna
EUMETSAT — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) Minotaur IV rocket motor stacking at Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-8
US Space Force — 5:20 am ET (0920 GMT) MDA Space awarded contract with Canadian Department of National Defence to deliver Ground-Based Optical Capability for Space Surveillance
MDA — 5:18 am ET (0918 GMT) Rocket Lab wins record contract with US Department of War
Radio New Zealand — 5:17 am ET (0917 GMT) |
