Curiosity rover out of safe mode

2013-03-05 07:29

A data controller monitors the Mars rover Curiosity from the Deep Space Network's control room at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. (Damian Dovarganes, AP)

Pasadena - Nasa says the Curiosity rover is returning to normal after a computer problem limited its activities.

The space agency said on Monday that the car-size rover exited safe mode over the weekend. In safe mode, the rover suspends its science activities but is still in contact with Earth.

Curiosity is now preparing to resume its science experiments - perhaps by next week.

Engineers still don't know what caused Curiosity's memory glitch.

The rover was in the middle of analysing powder from a rock it had recently drilled into.

Curiosity has been purposely taking it slow since it landed in an ancient crater near the Martian equator. Scientists still plan to order the rover to head toward a mountain in the middle of the crater.

The trip is expected to take at least nine months.

- AP