[ Last Page ] An out-of-this-world IT job: Mars rover driver

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Rover driver, Ashley Stroupe, 39, said the driver teams must work well together to be sure every command they send is correct and accomplishes the experiments planned for each day. But because the rovers are designed with deep safety features, they are able to "sense" dangers and can adjust their commands and paths without human intervention, she said.

"They're smart enough to monitor their safety, particularly in tricky terrain," Stroupe said. "If we [accidentally] tell it to drive into a rock and it's paying attention to what it's doing, it won't run into the rock" because it will sense the danger through its two "eyes," or cameras, that can see the obstacle. The rovers can compensate for such dangers using safety parameters that are programmed into them, she said.

"These are very complicated systems," Stroupe said. "It's a huge team effort, and we couldn't do it without everybody working together. Everybody on the project gives 120% because we're all so thrilled about being involved in such a special mission."

"Probably the most special day I've had as a rover [driver] was the day I built my first drive solo" on Mars, Stroupe said. "We were on the plateau on Husband Hill, and we were driving along the edge to get imagery of the valley below. I parked us right on the edge and got a spectacular view."

"I remember looking at those tracks and realizing what they meant -- my ">first tracks on Mars, and the first tracks actually made by a woman driving on another planet," she said. "I am proud of it every time I see that panorama from the very top looking down at those tracks."



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