14 DAY TRIAL // The Curiosity Mars rover has been on the red, well, brown planet for more than a year now, yet the NASA team operating it is still doing some things for the first time. The latest premiere was the first two-day automated drive for the rover.
For the past few months, Curiosity has traveled across some regions by herself, with the help of the on-board navigation software.
But the NASA operators are still keeping a close eye on things. The usual day starts with a pre-programed drive, based on imagery from satellites or Curiosity herself. Only some portions are navigated autonomously.
On Monday though, the rover completed her first two-day automated drive. She arrived at a location by herself on Sunday evening and then continued the next day with no input from Earth.
"The drives brought Curiosity to about 262 feet (about 80 meters) from 'Cooperstown,' an outcrop bearing candidate targets for examination with instruments on the rover's arm. The moniker, appropriate for baseball season, comes from a named rock deposit in New York," NASA explained.