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    19th-Century Code Helps 21st-Century Mars Rover Find Its Way

    by Kaitlyn Wells Oct 30, 2013 5 minutes

    Back in the 1840s, Morse code was a ground-breaking approach for sending messages over a hot, new communications medium called the electrical telegraph. Earlier this year, the last telegram ever was sent, yet Morse code is not entirely out of a job. NASA’s cutting-edge Curiosity Mars rover, built by JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), uses this practically ancient code to help determine where it is on a planet that has few landmarks, let alone a GPS network.

    Matt Heverly, a JPL engineer and one of Curiosity’s drivers, explained how this dated system is still being put to good use:

    For those who haven’t been following the mission, can you briefly describe its history?

    It launched on November 26, 2011. We packed this cool, giant rover into a rocket and launched it off to Mars. On August 5, 2012, it

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