Is The 'Mars’ Curse' Real? NASA’s Curiosity Rover Drill Problem Still Not Fixed, Faces New Problems With One Of Its Atmospheric Instruments

With the ongoing drill problems NASA's Mars Curiosity rover is having, is this the so-called "Mars' Curse"? To make matters worse, NASA has also reported that the rover is experiencing problems with one of its atmospheric instruments. Will this be the end of NASA's Mars Curiosity rover?

The engineers from NASA have already identified the Mars Curiosity rover drill problem. It has something to do with the drill's brake mechanism and its electrical sensors that report how the drill is rotating. According to Space.com, during a conference at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) last Dec. 13, Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity project scientists, shares that they were able to get the drill feed moving and essentially uninstalling it.

"We've determined that that problem is recurring. It went away, and we were very excited, but then it, unfortunately, has returned again in just the last day or so. So we're in the process of still figuring out how to go recover the operation of that drill feed," Vasavada said.

In the event that the drill problem will be fixed, the Curiosity team proposes to just use the drill's rotating function. The problem with the Mars Curiosity rover drill was first reported last Dec. 1 when the rover was not able to complete its drilling instructions.

Furthermore, the Curiosity rover is also facing a problem with one of its weather station instruments, specifically its wind sensor. Overall, though, NASA's Curiosity team assures that the rover is in good health.

NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has been stuck in place ever since the drill problem was detected. The rover is currently on the slopes of Mount Sharp on Mars. It was able to observe and track the Martian weather and has been consistently taking pictures of the surrounding area where it is currently stuck.

According to a recent update by NASA, the Curiosity team is using the rover's other instruments to "getting good science done." The team is using the Curiosity rover's ChemCham to observe target locations, Hall Quarry and Long Porcupine on the Red Planet. Its Mastcam will document the targets and do a multi-spectral observation, while its Navcam will look out for dust devils.

With the Mars Curiosity rover's ongoing problems, is this the "Mars' Curse" work? A lot of its predecessors have either crashed along the way to the Red Planet or lost signal after landing on Mars. It would be a waste if the Curiosity rover would succumb to the curse after collecting valuable information and sample from Mars.