NASA OPPORTUNITY ROVER
NASA aims to correct a series of problems with the Opportunity rover's memory by giving it a reformat from far, far away
Mars exploration rover Opportunity is set for a flash memory reformatting after experiencing an increasing number of computer resets. The U.S. space agency is preparing to download all useful data remaining in Opportunity's flash memory to earth and switch the rover to an operating mode that does not use flash memory. Opportunity's flash memory behaves like other types of flash-memory devices we're all familiar with down here on Earth, including digital cameras and audio players.
NASA will first download anything useful from the flash memory and store it here on our planet. Then the rover will be placed in an operating mode that doesn't use the flash memory. The reformatting process will clear the memory and flag the bad cells to keep them out of use. Opportunity should be feeling quite a bit sharper once it's done.
The space agency has had enough of these resets after performing over a dozen in August alone. "Worn-out cells in the flash memory are the leading suspect in causing these resets," says John Callas, project manager for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project. While it sounds like a wipe is pretty serious memory surgery, the rover has stored critical software and sequences in other spots that won't be touched by the reformat.
Flash memory retains data even when power is off. Individual cells within a flash memory can wear out from repeated use. Reformatting clears the memory while identifying bad cells and flagging them to be avoided, media reports said. Opportunity has been active for more than a decade and is currently about 200 million km from earth.
"The flash reformatting is a low-risk process, as critical sequences and flight software are stored elsewhere in other non-volatile memory on the rover," said project manager John Callas from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
NASA sent rovers Spirit and Opportunity to Mars in early 2004. Spirit worked for six years while Opportunity is still active, sending data about ancient wet environments on Mars.:
Both Spirit and Opportunity have done remarkably well. Although Spirit shut down, Opportunity is still doing an admirable job. The NASA scientists deserve credit for a superlative job. This complete credit goes the scientist of NASA.
Mars exploration rover Opportunity is set for a flash memory reformatting after experiencing an increasing number of computer resets. The U.S. space agency is preparing to download all useful data remaining in Opportunity's flash memory to earth and switch the rover to an operating mode that does not use flash memory. Opportunity's flash memory behaves like other types of flash-memory devices we're all familiar with down here on Earth, including digital cameras and audio players.
NASA will first download anything useful from the flash memory and store it here on our planet. Then the rover will be placed in an operating mode that doesn't use the flash memory. The reformatting process will clear the memory and flag the bad cells to keep them out of use. Opportunity should be feeling quite a bit sharper once it's done.
The space agency has had enough of these resets after performing over a dozen in August alone. "Worn-out cells in the flash memory are the leading suspect in causing these resets," says John Callas, project manager for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project. While it sounds like a wipe is pretty serious memory surgery, the rover has stored critical software and sequences in other spots that won't be touched by the reformat.
Flash memory retains data even when power is off. Individual cells within a flash memory can wear out from repeated use. Reformatting clears the memory while identifying bad cells and flagging them to be avoided, media reports said. Opportunity has been active for more than a decade and is currently about 200 million km from earth.
NASA sent rovers Spirit and Opportunity to Mars in early 2004. Spirit worked for six years while Opportunity is still active, sending data about ancient wet environments on Mars.:
Both Spirit and Opportunity have done remarkably well. Although Spirit shut down, Opportunity is still doing an admirable job. The NASA scientists deserve credit for a superlative job. This complete credit goes the scientist of NASA.
