NASA gets 20-minute signal from Mars rover

CNN ^ | 01/23/04 | CNN

[Pikamax]

PASADENA, California (CNN) -- After two days having trouble sending transmissions, the Mars rover Spirit sent data Friday morning to its NASA flight team in a communications session lasting 20 minutes, said the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"The spacecraft sent limited data in a proper response to a ground command, and we're planning for commanding further communication sessions later today," said Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager Pete Theisinger.

[aynrandfreak]

Can we now go back to laughing at the failed EU Beagle mission?

[Professional Engineer]

ping

[MarkeyD]

Have they tried ?

[Wheee The People]

Can we now go back to laughing at the failed EU Beagle mission?

Why bother? How many days did their mission last?

[ken5050]

East explanation...Spirit used to have an ATT cellular plan...last month, before lauch, NASA JPL switched over to Cingular...was told they could keep the same #, to avoid reprogramming the wholoe system..but ATT Wireless screwed it up. They took three weeks to make the change-over..

[gooleyman]

It's good to hear from the little guy. I'm sure they'll get him back on his feet now.

Probably was out late partying with some cute little female Martian robot. He's just got a hangover. He'll be allright.

[RoseofTexas]

C'mon little buddy, you can do it!

[So Cal Rocket]

Sounds like the rover ran into a software glitch and shut down into Safe Mode... if so, this is GOOD news.

[Don Corleone]

Too many Krispy Kremes. The thing went into sugar shock!

[marvlus]

Are they using Windows XP? If so, they're in good hands!! (Snicker, snicker)

[ctonious]

Maybe they again fouled up metric and English units, and filled it up with liters instead of gallons.

But not to worry, ex-Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Washington-Jefferson-Lincoln-Adams-Lee figures there's plenty of gas in the dune buggy left by the Apollo program - and has recommended that they drive it over there and fill it back up.

[6ppc]

Are they using Windows XP? If so, they're in good hands!! (Snicker, snicker)

Actually it's running Linux. (no joke)

[aynrandfreak]

It was more a response to the post yesterday about the Rover signal being gone & the poster saying, "do those who were laughing about the beagle have anything to say now?"

[TomGuy]

"That was the off button!"

"No, no, it was the on button!"

"You don't know what you're beeping about!"

"Well, you're no rocket scientist either!"

"Who keeps sending us all this space junk anyway?"

"Beats me, but they'll get one heck of a surprise when we finish ours and send it to them...hehehe."

[DallasMike]

Actually it's running Linux. (no joke)

Oh, Lord. Now we're going to have tons of MS haters/Linux lovers post about how it could never be a problem with Linux because they have a Linux server that has been running under water for 32 years and has never crashed yet. I like Linux and run a Redhat box at home but it's not a religion for me like it is for some.

[non-anonymous]

[intern47@nasa]% setenv DISPLAY=Spirit:0.0
[intern47@nasa]% xeyes
ABORT: Core dump in progr&#$(*..3

[DallasMike]

xeyes

LOL!!!!

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Data rate 120 bits per second -- high gain antenna on the fritz?

[Ancesthntr]

Sounds like the rover ran into a software glitch and shut down into Safe Mode...

If you listened to the Schnit Show yesterday, he came up with a good hypothesis: There was a signal broadcast all over the Earth (and, therefore, into space and toward Mars) that was nearly an exact match for the "shut down into Safe Mode" frequency. What was that broadcast? It was the "YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH" uttered by Mad How.