August 11, 2012

Curiosity's Daily Update: Curiosity Preps for a Planned 'Brain Transplant'




Curiosity's Daily Update: Curiosity Preps for a Planned 'Brain Transplant'

A healthy Curiosity spent Sol 4, its fifth day on Mars, preparing for this weekend's planned "brain transplant"--transitioning to a new version of flight software on both of Curiosity's redundant main computers. The new software is better suited for Mars surface operations, such as driving and using Curiosity's robotic arm. The "brain transplant" will take place during a series of steps beginning this evening and continuing through Aug. 13. The new software was uploaded to the rover's memory during the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft's flight from Earth.