Government Shutdown Can't Stop NASA's Curiosity Rover

The U.S. government shutdown has hindered most Earth-bound NASA employees from working. On Mars, however, the Curiosity rover is going strong.

Since contract workers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) oversee the mission which touched down on the Red Planet in August 2012, the Curiosity team is not subject to the same furloughs as other NASA employees. Veronica McGregor, a media relations manager at JPL, said the California Institute of Technology technically employs herself and others at the lab.

See also: Space-Loving Twitter Users Cover for NASA During Shutdown

"Curiosity is doing what Curiosity does — she's roving, taking some images of Mars, still sending those back," McGregor told Mashable. "Right now, things continue on as normal."

That said, management for JPL and Cal Tech will continue to assess the situation on a weekly basis, and it's possible the team may not remain completely intact in the event of a prolonged shutdown.

This would be particularly detrimental for Curiosity. Unlike some space probes that run mostly on autopilot, the Mars rover requires daily maintenance by scientists, engineers and programmers to decide how best to proceed with the mission.

"Curiosity is one where they literally look at the data each day, sit down, create a plan, decide what science instrument is going to be used tomorrow, they write software for it and upload it," McGregor said. "[It's] is kind of a unique mission in that way."

Teams work almost around the clock to keep the bot functioning.

It appears the government shutdown will not affect NASA's next Mars probe either. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution orbiter, or Maven, is on schedule to launch on Nov. 18, which is significant because there is a small window of opportunity to send a craft to Mars.

"We wait until basically Earth is lapping Mars on the inside," McGregor said. "Every other year, Earth and Mars are on complete opposite sides of the sun, and the amount of fuel that would be necessary would be prohibitive."

If the mission were to be delayed a significant amount of time, it would have to wait about two years for another opportunity to launch.

In total, about 800,000 federal workers were sent home by the government shutdown, which began Tuesday after Congress could not strike a deal on a funding bill by the end of the fiscal year.

Aside from Mission Control which is supporting astronauts currently in space, most of NASA's staff was furloughed on the 55th anniversary of the day the agency became operational.

Image: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory

BONUS: 15 Captivating Photos of the Government Shutdown

1. 

   1. The Lincoln Memorial

   Image: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

   A U.S. Park Police officer stands guard at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

2. 

   2. Yellowstone National Park

   Image: Flickr, NPCA Photos

   The first of the nation's national parks did not escape the government shutdown.

3. 

   3. "House of Turds"

   Image: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

   Congress' inability to strike a deal captured all the morning headlines. Some were more creative than others.

4. 

   4. The Statue of Liberty

   Image: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

   The shutdown closed the gates on Lady Liberty.

5. 

   5. President Barack Obama

   Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images

   Flanked by residents who've benefited form the new health care law, President Barack Obama urged Congress to end the shutdown during a mid-day press conference in the White House Rose Garden.

6. 

   6. Rickshaw Driver

   Image: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

   This rickshaw driver usually makes his money taxiing tourists between attractions in Washington, D.C.

7. 

   7. United States Capitol

   Image: Twitter, M. Scott Mahaskey

   Politico photo editor M. Scott Mahaskey tweeted this photo of the empty rotunda inside the U.S. Capitol.

8. 

   8. Fort Point National Historic Site

   Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

   Even in the shadow of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the Fort Point National Historic Site could not hide from the shutdown.

9. 

   9. Mount Rushmore National Memorial

   Image: Scott Olson/Getty Images

   Mount Rushmore will remain closed during the shutdown.

10. 

    10. Emoji Shutdown Explanation

    Image: Twitter, USA Today

    Here's a creative emoji visualization of the shutdown by USA Today -- thumbs up for services unaffected by the shutdown, thumbs down for those that are closed.

11. 

    11. Republican Congressmen

    Image: Twitter, Eric Cantor

    House Majority Leader Eric Cantor provoked Senate leaders when he tweeted this photo of himself and his Republican colleagues waiting at the negotiating table.

12. 

    12. World War II Memorial

    Image: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

    A U.S. Park Ranger barricades the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

13. 

    13. World War II Memorial

    Image: Twitter, Leo Shane III

    As Leo Shane III of Stars and Stripes showed us in a series of tweeted images, veterans managed to access the World War II Memorial, despite its closure.

14. 

    14. The Jefferson Memorial

    Image: Flickr, NPCA Photos

    Thomas Jefferson may have authored the Declaration of Independence, but that didn't spare his memorial from the shutdown.

15.