Curiosity Rover in Downtime after Sun Blasts Radiation Stream Towards Mars

Mars Curiosity rover, the car-size rover currently on a mission in Mars, is being powered off temporarily as a security measure, NASA said Wednesday, after the sun unleashed a blast headed towards the red planet.

Earlier last week, Curiosity Rover hit a snag when a memory glitch forced it into a "safe mode" and NASA engineers said it would be turned off. It was announced yesterday that limited operations would be resumed, but following the latest development, it will remain off, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Scientists noticed a flare erupting from the sun, which then blasted a stream of radiation and a cloud of superheated gas toward Mars, according to the report. The solar eruption was not projected to have an impact on Earth.

Meanwhile, the Opportunity rover and two orbiting NASA spacecraft will carry on with normal activities.

Curiosity Rover landed on August.6 last year at the Gale Crater. The $2.5 billion mission is to search for signs of past or present life and for evidence of organic compounds like those necessary for life as it is known on Earth. Mars Curiosity Rover's mission is slated to last for at least two years and possibly longer, depending on funding and the condition of the spacecraft.