It’s difficult enough in the very first location having to drive an astronomically costly rover around a planet countless miles away. Doing it from home seems like a pretty big ask– however it turns out NASA’s Interest group depends on it.
The area firm posted today about how the group has adapted to the unprecedented circumstance of having to manage an important, continuous objective including hundreds of individuals, without any of those individuals meeting personally.
” We’re generally all in one room, sharing screens, images and data,” said group lead Alicia Allbaugh. Now they’re not just in different spaces, however on various schedules and computing setups. “I probably keep track of about 15 chat channels at all times. You’re managing more than you usually would.”
Naturally there are video calls, too– often several simultaneously. Processes previously accomplished on high-performance workstations are now being done on laptops and web services. But while the added complexity makes the planning process less effective, the outcomes are still rolling in.
It drove up to a rock, drilled a sample and sent out verification back to the team– just as it would if they were all working as regular.
” Mars isn’t standing still for us; we’re still checking out,” said Allbaugh.