This orbit is very stable, letting the spacecraft remain relatively unaffected by orbital debris and space radiation, as well as allowing for easy communications with mission team members on the ground during the close passes to Earth. (scientificamerican.com)
NASA's Curiosity rover conducted its first drilling in over a year on Feb. 26, 2018, to test a new technique developed by mission team members on Earth after the motor powering the drill's feed mechanism malfunctioned in December 2016. (spaceflightinsider.com)
Mission team members reported that about 30 observations were lost during those three days. (scientificamerican.com)