Even the Mars Curiosity Rover needs software updates every now and then. NASA recently upgraded the rover’s OS in order to update its ability to take better photos of itself by giving it expanded use of its robotic arm. The rover will be taking more photos of itself in order to keep an eye on any damage that the vehicle sustains during its mission.
The team operating NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has completed a software upgrade on the vehicle and is next planning a check of wear and tear on the rover’s wheels. “Curiosity is now operating on version 11 of its flight software,” said Jim Erickson of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, project manager for the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Project, which operates Curiosity.