Why the Curiosity Rover Stopped Singing 'Happy Birthday' to Itself
The answer, a NASA engineer warned, “will sound rather cold and unfeeling.”
When the Curiosity rover studies soil on Mars, it does it with a little shimmy. Its robotic arm collects a pinch of soil and drops it into the sample-analysis unit in the robot’s belly. The unit vibrates at different frequencies, shaking the powdery sample so it settles down into small cups. There, the unit heats up the soil, causing the grains to release fumes that scientists can study for hints of organic compounds.
In August 2013, NASA decided to use the sample-analysis unit’s vibrations for something a little different. To celebrate the mission’s first successful year on “Happy Birthday” to itself.
