spacetoday.net: Curiosity in safe mode after computer glitch

Posted: Sat, Mar 2, 2013, 10:44 AM ET (1544 GMT)
MSL self-portrait, November 2012 (NASA/JPL)

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity went into a safe mode on Thursday because of a problem with one of its flight computers, project officials said. Curiosity switched from its "A-side" computer to its redundant "B-side" computer because of a problem with the flash memory used by the A-side computer. That switch put the rover into a safe mode, interrupting science work. Project engineers will work over the next several days to restore normal operations will examining the flash memory issue with the A-side computer. The spacecraft had been using the A-side computer from before landing last August until the recent glitch, without any serious problems. Project officials hypothesize that a high-energy particle, like a cosmic ray, may have triggered the computer problem.