JPL workers tune into Mars as Curiosity landing date nears
By Tiffany Kelly
Pasadena Sun
With the rover Curiosity days away from landing on the Red Planet, Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Matt Heverly is getting ready to work on Mars time.
A day on Mars is roughly 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth, so each day, Heverly will come to JPL 40 minutes later than the previous day.
When Mars’ rotation is in sync with Earth, he will start a normal shift at around 7 a.m. As Mars and Earth become out of sync, his schedule will become irregular and hectic. “Having to do that with day care pick-up and drop-off with little kids, it’s going to be crazy,” said Heverly, a father of two.
The new schedule starts right away. The rover is set to land on Mars’ Gale Crater around 10:31 p.m. on Aug. 5. Heverly will start work a few hours later, ready to drive the rover to a safe location if it lands on a slope or on top of a pile of rocks.
JPL workers tune into Mars as Curiosity landing date nears
By Tiffany Kelly
Pasadena Sun
With the rover Curiosity days away from landing on the Red Planet, Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Matt Heverly is getting ready to work on Mars time.
A day on Mars is roughly 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth, so each day, Heverly will come to JPL 40 minutes later than the previous day.
When Mars’ rotation is in sync with Earth, he will start a normal shift at around 7 a.m. As Mars and Earth become out of sync, his schedule will become irregular and hectic. “Having to do that with day care pick-up and drop-off with little kids, it’s going to be crazy,” said Heverly, a father of two.
The new schedule starts right away. The rover is set to land on Mars’ Gale Crater around 10:31 p.m. on Aug. 5. Heverly will start work a few hours later, ready to drive the rover to a safe location if it lands on a slope or on top of a pile of rocks.
