Posted: Tue, Apr 13, 2004, 8:21 PM ET (0021 GMT)
Mission controllers are uploading new software to the twin Mars Exploration Rovers that should help the rovers extend their mission as late as September. The upgrades will permit the rover Spirit to navigate the rocky terrain of the Gusev Crater landing site more independently, allowing it to traverse longer distances each day as the rover tried to reach the Columbia Hills about two kilometers away. The upgrades will also put the rover Opportunity into a "deep sleep" at night, cutting electricity to a stuck heater on the spacecraft that threatened to sap the rover's batteries. The upgrades will also prevent both rovers from running into the computer memory problem that paralyzed Spirit early in its mission. Spirit has already received the software upgrade and resumed its mission Tuesday, while Opportunity will get its software upgrade this week.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  Bloomberg News article