Meet the Drivers Behind NASA's Mars Rovers

StonyandCher writes "Scott Maxwell must have one of the best IT jobs in the solar system, driving NASA's Mars Rovers. Behind every robot is a driver. He's one of 14 Rover Drivers that work in NASA's California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Maxwell discusses what makes up an average work day, the highlights of the project, how he got the job, and the tools he uses in his work. A great look at the team of dedicated IT workers behind the robots, plotting the every move of NASA's twin robot geologists, Spirit and Opportunity, since they first landed on Mars at the start of 2004."

Bent brush

[Cally]

So... who bent the brush [newscientist.com]? ;)

Re:Bent brush

[Cally]

You're correct. The rocks where Opportunity is are mostly soft sedimentary sandstones. Spirit's got lots of volcanic basalt. Hence one RAT is (was) still grinding whilst the other, isn't.

You're right

[ScottMaxwell]

I *do* have a great job ... and I also read Slashdot. :-)