Curiosity's robotic Mars exploration rover has temporarily stopped working due to a technical glitch. This is stated on the website of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The problem is related to the loss of orientation in space. The rover constantly stores in memory actual data about its position, the state of the joints, the location of the robotic βarmβ and the direction of the βlookβ of the onboard instruments.
All this information helps the robot navigate the Red Planet safely and determine exactly where it is at any given time.
However, the Curiosity reportedly suffered a crash recently that left the robot "lost" in the area. After that, the rover stopped the implementation of the scientific program - now it is in a stationary state.
NASA specialists are already taking the necessary measures to restore the orientation of the robot. What exactly the problem is connected with is not yet specified.
We add that Curiosity was sent to the Red Planet on November 26, 2011, and a soft landing was carried out on August 6, 2012. This robot is the largest and heaviest planetary rover ever created by man. To date, the device has covered a distance of about 22 kilometers on the surface of Mars.
Source: 3dnews.ru