back to article Opportunity rover stuck in standby mode after Martian blackout

NASA is trying to reactivate its Martian rover Opportunity after it switched itself into standby mode during a communications quiet period, but engineers have had no luck as yet at restoring control. The space agency hasn't been communicating with its Martian rovers for the last few weeks as there has been a solar conjunction …

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  1. OzBob
    Trollface

    And the pertinent question is,....

    does it contains a US Robotics modem that Val Kilmer can use in the future to cobble together a radio to call Earth?

    1. The lone lurker

      Re: And the pertinent question is,....

      I was much more annoyed by the animated bear on the Russian probe that handily gave instructions to non Russian speakers.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: And the pertinent question is,....

      Who loaded it with an Android App?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: And the pertinent question is,....

        Should have gone with iOS ;)

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "...engineers have had no luck as yet at restoring control."

    Tap it on it's side a couple of times.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Devil

      Re: "...engineers have had no luck as yet at restoring control."

      LOL

    2. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      Re: "...engineers have had no luck as yet at restoring control."

      Tap it on it's side a couple of times

      Better not, God knows what its NFC chip will then buy over there :)

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Turn it off and on again

    Oh, they've tried that already...

  4. Barbarian At the Gates
    Thumb Up

    Best xkcd ever

    Thank you for reminding me of one of my favorite xkcd's ever.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Best xkcd ever

      I cried. I am too emotional.

    2. Juan Inamillion

      Re: Best xkcd ever

      So sad!!!

      1. OzBob
        Coat

        Re: Best xkcd ever

        OK. you realise that "Short Circuit" was not a documentary, nor "based on a true story"?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Windows

    This is what you get for upgrading Opportunity to Windows 8!!

    There's probably a minimized "Please insert CD #3" dialogue box open on one of the terminals in mission control......

  6. pierce
    Facepalm

    "Keyboard Error. Press any key to continue..."

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Where's the 'Any' key?

      Ah the old ones are the best..

  7. GitMeMyShootinIrons

    Always making it more difficult than it is.

    If it's stuck in standby and your remote won't switch it on, then it's obvious:

    Just needs a fresh set of AA batteries in the remote and we're good to go.

    1. Steve Williams
      Alien

      Can't they send 'Curiosity' to give it a jump start.

      On the other hand, I can never seem to find the jump leads when I need them. People doing black hole research could start by looking into the boot of my car.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    " We crafted our solar conjunction plan to be resilient to this kind of rover reset, if it were to occur."

    You didn't. It has. Its in trouble.

    Bet there are a few tight buttocks @ mission control...

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      Bet there are a few tight buttocks @ mission control...

      For a machine that has somewhat outlasted its design specs (my first extraterrestrial understatement)?

      I don't think so. It will offer someone a challenge to make it start again regardless, but the machine was officially written off ages ago. Having said that, making it work AGAIN regardless would be a *seriously* cool hack.

      If those devices were any closer together they could get one to trundle over, swat any residual Martians off the reset button, clean its windows and solar shields and get it on its way again. IMHO, that would be so übercool it would provoke a Martian winter all on its own..

    2. Martin
      WTF?

      "You didn't. It has. Its in trouble."

      IT'S in trouble. Sigh.

      In any case, it was designed to last for three months. It's still running nine years later. So, yes they did, and it was. If it's now in trouble, it's probably because it's physically worn out.

      When did you last design and build ANYTHING that lasted thirty six times longer than it was intended to?

  9. clarknova
    Linux

    RFC 1812

    So that's where the martian packets are coming from.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    In future they should send them in pairs

    so they can look after each other. If one runs into trouble, the other could turn if off and on again.

  11. S4qFBxkFFg
    Boffin

    "Our current suspicion is that Opportunity rebooted its flight software, possibly while the cameras on the mast were imaging the sun,"

    Staring at the sun - not a good idea, even at ~1.5AU.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Staring at the sun - not a good idea, even at ~1.5AU.

      Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun

      But mama, that's where the fun is.

  12. Arachnoid
    Go

    They're handling it incorrectly

    Need to shout a bit louder chaps old age may have affected its hearing

  13. bag o' spanners
    Alien

    Mr Garibaldi dunnit.

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