Even NASA’s Curiosity Goes Into Safe Mode

When you have a software problem you have a few options to fix them. Typically software fixes software but there are sometimes when the software is a little too messed up and needs removing, this is even more common when the software has gone horribly wrong or is infected. The latter is not a problem that NASA has to deal with often but more common than not it does have to deal with problems from across the stars, even more so when its rovers, Curiosity goes into safe mode.

The rover, that’s been exploring Mars Gale Crater since 2012 entered a precautionary safe mode on the 4th of July. The purpose of the safe mode is to enable the rover to do the very basics it needs to survive.

NASA has since regained communications with the rover but until they’ve scanned over the diagnostic data they’ve received back they won’t be able to tell for certain why the rover has shut down this time. This is the third time now that they’ve had to deal with this issue.

Personally, I like to think that the rover was just declaring its own independence day, something which would fall in line with the fears that some big scientists already have about smart robots and artificial intelligence.