The navigation strategy of NASA’s Curiosity rover means it has to stop frequently to check its position, but soon a software update will allow it to move almost continuously
Technology 17 August 2022
An artist’s impression of the Curiosity rover on Mars
NASA/JPL-Caltech
A new software update will soon give NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover a 50 per cent speed boost, allowing it to cover a greater distance and complete more science. But the update very nearly didn’t happen because of a mysterious bug in the software that eluded engineers for years.
Curiosity, which landed on Mars 10 years ago this month, has already greatly outlived its planned two-year lifespan. It can be controlled in several ways, but the vast majority of the time, it operates …