A glitch in the Curiosity rover's main computer system has forced Nasa to switch to a backup while the problem is
That means the rover must be put into "safe mode" -- a state in
which only critical functions are allowed to take place and science
operations are put on hold.
In the meantime, the rover's backup computing system is being
updated with all the command codes and other functionality that it
needs to take over regular operations.
Nasa first noticed a problem with the rover on 27 February, when
it failed to send back a data packet to Earth and refused to switch
into its daily sleep mode, like a truculent teenager.
Nasa officials wrote on the rover's Twitter account: "Don't flip
out: I just flipped over to my B-side computer while the team looks
into an A-side memory issue."
It's thought that the issue is related to corrupted files in the
flash memory of the A-side computer. It's not clear how they got
corrupted, but it's possible that Mars' lack of a protective
atmosphere allowed through a cosmic ray that damaged the rover's
Richard Cook, Curiosity project manager, told Space.com: "The hardware that we fly is radiation
tolerant, but there's a limit to how hardened it can be. You can
still get high-energy particles that can cause the memory to be
corrupted. It certainly is a possibility and that's what we're
The space agency says that the rover won't be back up and
running for several days -- possibly a week. However, its backup
system should mean that there'll be no long-term effects on the
robot's ability to fulfil its mission.