back to article Curiosity rover RENDERED ARMLESS by short circuit

Humanity's Mars-resident nuclear-powered, laser-packing space tank Curiosity has a broken arm. NASA boffins said the problem emerged on 27 February when "the rover was conducting an early step in the transfer of rock powder collected by the drill on the arm to laboratory instruments inside the rover." During that operation " …

  1. Martin Budden Silver badge
    Coat

    I'm going out on a limb here: unlike Earth, Mars is not mostly 'armless.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Well, it would appear this problem will have some NASA engineers rather stumped.

      1. stucs201

        Perhaps someone will lend them a hand.

        1. Mark 85

          At least it wasn't a short arm failure.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Remote Power Control Interfaces and their Shortcomings

            At least it wasn't a short arm failure......Mark 85

            Oh, I think that is exactly the problem for solution, Mark 85, with fresh meat and novel brains a simple answer to resurrect and redirect the program.

            1. Dave 126 Silver badge

              Re: Remote Power Control Interfaces and their Shortcomings

              Short ARM? I thought it used a Power chip!

  2. Mephistro
    Coat

    The poor bugger...

    ... probably cut a buried power line. It happens all the time.

    1. WraithCadmus
      Alien

      Re: The poor bugger...

      What voltage is the Martian phone system? Has amfm been knocked offline?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Quick!

    Send in the Army!

    Sorry..

    1. Sceptic Tank Silver badge

      Re: Quick!

      We need Armed Response!

      Did this thing ever complain about pain in the diodes on its left side?

      1. stucs201

        Re: Quick!

        It looks the the Martian special forces took their mission to disarm our laser-tank a little too literally.

  4. kryptonaut

    Ha!

    I'm loving all these humerus comments.

    1. cortland

      Re: Ha!

      And making no bones about it!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If they

    turned on the microphone they would hear the quiet whisper of: "johnny five.....is alive..." repeated over and over.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Re: If they

      Naaaahhhh... it's probably asking for "input"...

  6. Bunbury
    Terminator

    Short Circuit?

    Number 5 ALIIIIIIVE!!!!!

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Would you like a hand ?

    According to unconfirmed rumour, heard by a car mechanic in the car park where some medical students were learning anatomy 3 floors above on a real human ...

  8. Ugotta B. Kiddingme

    Oh, THAT explains it...

    this picture, taken right before the arm short circuit, might explain a thing or two. Anyone seen my spare Illudium Q36 Explosive Space Modulator?

  9. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Sack the programmer!

    He used shorts when he should have used longs.

  10. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
    Happy

    We all know the real reason, despite the NASA cover-up. As they've improved the capacity of the deep space network, they are now able to get video to Mars. The rover has been watching too much material of an 'artistic' nature - and obviously the wear-and-tear on the arm wasn't factored into a design that didn't expect high-grade porn to be accessible.

    As to what porn a 2 tonne laser-armed space tank watches, I leave that as an exercise for the reader's imagination...

    1. Mephistro
      Coat

      "As to what porn a 2 tonne laser-armed space tank watches, I leave that as an exercise for the reader's imagination..."

      Hmm... an M1 Abrams? Frau Merkel? A BigDog robot?

      Brain hurts!

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If it's a power problem...

    ...they can invoke the wankband - they did remember to build that in, didn't they?

    http://www.themarysue.com/wankband-green-energy/

  12. Conundrum1885

    Re. If it's a power problem...`

    No DiSaSseMble NuMbEr Five...

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