Mars Rover Problems - Update
NASA is now saying that the
problem with the Spirit rover is due to the fact that it is “trying to keep track of too many files”. There are many lessons to be learned here. First, humans are no longer the only ones that suffer from this problem. Maybe if Spirit had been running WinFS it wouldn't have been so much of an issue. I'll need to ask
Don Box if Indigo communications can be piped through the Deep Space Network. Anyways, the second lesson is simple: Regular maintenance of your computer is key. Defragment your hard drive once a week, and make regular backups, deleting files you no longer use on a regular basis. Whether it's a Martian rover or the family computer, taking these routine steps will ensure your system doesn't melt down at the most inopportune of times.