Curiosity rover's arm is suffering short circuits, but it's OK
The Curiosity rover's drilling career is in danger. Its robotic arm has been having sporadic short circuits ever since late February. Its issues started on February 27th, when a surge of current shut down the the rover while it was processing some samples. After running a couple of tests, NASA pinpointed the culprit, which is apparently the coil that generates magnetic fields. This coil operates the striker, which, in turn, moves the drill. While unfortunate, the drill will still work even if the coil and the striker completely give out, though it'll only be able to dig through softer surfaces. Don't worry, though: NASA, according to The New York Times, believes this won't affect the mission as a whole. The agency also plans to start drilling with the arm again next week -- fingers crossed its problems are over by then.
[Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS]
