William Atkins
Sunday, 06 September 2009 19:21
Science -
Space
Page 1 of 2
The NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been shut down for a few weeks because of a glitch in its computer system, which will temporarily end its ability to take stunning high-resolution images of the Martian surface.
After about 3.5 years orbiting Mars, the MRO spacecraft is having some computer problems.
It has rebooted its main computers on four separate occasions and NASA engineers want to know why these unexpected events are happening.
In the mean time, as of August 26, 2009, MRO ground controllers have placed the spacecraft into safe mode.
This precautionary mode has temporarily ended its mission for several weeks, which has so far resulted in the most data and images to have been taken of the planet when compared to all the current and past missions combined.
Just back on September 2, 2009, NASA released over 1,500 new images from the MRO spacecraft as it observed craters, dunes, gullies, geological layering, and other physical characteristics of the Martian landscape.
Additional information about this computer glitch onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, check out the September 4, 2009 NASA article “
Preventive Care Continues; Science on Hold.”
Page two contains the website that shows the latest high-resolution pictures that has been taken by the MRO spacecraft.
