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NASA’s Curiosity Rover takes valiant selfie as it weathers Mars’ huge storm
NASA’s Curiosity Rover recently took a selfie at it continues to weather a massive dust storm that has enveloped a massive area of the Red Planet. The spunky rover’s latest self-portrait was taken on Sol 2028, almost six years into its mission.
Immediately noticeable in the image was the thickness of the dust surrounding Curiosity, officially known as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). As could be seen in the rover’s self-portrait, which was shared by Seán Doran, the whole background is covered by a thick haze, completely blocking out mountains in the distance. Despite being covered by Martian dust due to the storm, however, Curiosity remains fully operational, thanks to its Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG), which converts heat from plutonium into electricity, enabling it to work despite being devoid of sunlight.
NASAs Mars Curiosity Rover takes a selfie in the middle of a massive storm. [Credit: Seán Doran/Flickr]
Curiosity’s RTG is designed with a plutonium core that generates electricity with its heat. Curiosity’s RTG is capable of producing 120 watts, and based on rough estimates; it would take around 14 years of constant operation before the plutonium decays to such a point that it only produces 100 watts. Even then, Curiosity would still be able to function, making it likely that the power source will outlast the rover’s other components, such as its wheels.
The absence of sunlight has been a particular point of concern for another one of NASA’s Martian rovers — Opportunity — which was caught in the middle of the dust storm. Being solar-powered, Opportunity relies on solar panels to recharge its batteries. Due to the storm blocking out the sun, however, the 14-year veteran has lost contact with Earth, and in a recent press conference, NASA noted that the rover has probably entered low power fault mode, which shuts down all of its systems except its mission clock.
Curiosity, for its part, was fortunate enough to escape the center of the storm. Back on June 12, Curiosity took a photo suggesting that the massive dust storm was beginning to encroach in its area of operations, according to a Space.com report. During NASA’s recent press conference for Opportunity, the space agency noted that the storm had already covered 15.8 million square miles (41 million square kilometers), which equates to the size of North America and Russia combined.
Curiosity is currently operating in Mars’ Gale Crater; a 96-mile-wide (154 kilometers) area believed to have once been a vast Martian lake. Curiosity was deployed in the crater to study its geology, which contains both clays and sulfate minerals, which form in water under varying conditions and suggest that the Red Planet may have harbored conditions favorable for life in its distant past.
Curiosity was delivered to Mars beneath a hovering rocket-powered crane in August 2012 and began exploring Gale Crater soon after. While the rover began its mission studying the crater’s floor, Curiosity’s ultimate goal is is currently in the process of climbing Aeolis Mons (nicknamed Mount Sharp), a massive mountain rising 5.5 kilometers (18.000 ft) out of the crater’s center. Just like the walls of an Earthly canyon, Mount Sharp flank hosts layers of data-rich sediment that allow the rover’s science team to understand Mars more deeply than ever before.
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Tesla Giga Berlin dispute against IG Metall union leads to investigation
As per a report from rbb24, police seized a laptop belonging to an IG Metall member at Tesla Giga Berlin on Tuesday afternoon.
German authorities have opened an investigation into an IG Metall union representative following allegations that a confidential works council meeting at Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin was secretly recorded. The probe follows a criminal complaint filed by Tesla management last week.
As per a report from rbb24, police seized a laptop belonging to an IG Metall member at Tesla Giga Berlin on Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors in Frankfurt (Oder) confirmed that an investigation is underway into a possible unauthorized audio recording of an internal works council meeting.
Under German law, recording a non-public meeting without consent may constitute a criminal offense.
Tesla stated that Gigafactory Berlin employees alerted management after allegedly discovering that an external union representative, who was attending the event as a guest, had recorded the session. Plant manager André Thierig stated in a post on X that the representative was “caught in action,” prompting the company to contact police and file a criminal complaint.
The seized device is now part of the investigation, and authorities will determine whether any unlawful recording had indeed occurred.
IG Metall has denied the accusation. In comments to German media, representatives rejected Tesla’s claim and described the electric vehicle maker’s allegation as an election campaign tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections.
The election at Tesla’s Grünheide plant is scheduled for March 2–4, 2026, with about 11,000 employees being eligible to vote. Regular works council elections in Germany are held every four years between March and May.
The incident comes amid tensions between Tesla and organized labor in Germany. While works councils operate independently from unions, IG Metall has been active at the plant and has previously criticized Tesla’s labor practices. Authorities, for their part, have not yet announced whether charges will be filed, though the investigation remains ongoing.
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Tesla rolls out xAI’s Grok to vehicles across Europe
The initial rollout includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain.
Tesla is rolling out Grok to vehicles in Europe. The feature will initially launch in nine European territories.
In a post on X, the official Tesla Europe, Middle East & Africa account confirmed that Grok is coming to Teslas in Europe. The initial rollout includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain, and additional markets are expected to be added later.
Grok allows drivers to ask questions using real-time information and interact hands-free while driving. According to Tesla’s support documentation, Grok can also initiate navigation commands, enabling users to search for destinations, discover points of interest, and adjust routes without touching the touchscreen, as per the feature’s official webpage.
The system offers selectable personalities, ranging from “Storyteller” to “Unhinged,” and is activated either through the App Launcher or by pressing and holding the steering wheel’s microphone button.
Grok is currently available only on Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, and Cybertruck vehicles equipped with an AMD infotainment processor. Vehicles must be running software version 2025.26 or later, with navigation command support requiring version 2025.44.25 or newer.
Drivers must also have Premium Connectivity or a stable Wi-Fi connection to use the feature. Tesla notes that Grok does not currently replace standard voice commands for vehicle controls such as climate or media adjustments.
The company has stated that Grok interactions are processed securely by xAI and are not linked to individual drivers or vehicles. Users do not need a Grok account or subscription to enable the feature at this time as well.
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Tesla ends Full Self-Driving purchase option in the U.S.
In January, Musk announced that Tesla would remove the ability to purchase the suite outright for $8,000. This would give the vehicle Full Self-Driving for its entire lifespan, but Tesla intended to move away from it, for several reasons, one being that a tranche in the CEO’s pay package requires 10 million active subscriptions of FSD.
Tesla has officially ended the option to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, a move that was announced for the United States market in January by CEO Elon Musk.
The driver assistance suite is now exclusively available in the U.S. as a subscription, which is currently priced at $99 per month.
Tesla moved away from the outright purchase option in an effort to move more people to the subscription program, but there are concerns over its current price and the potential for it to rise.
In January, Musk announced that Tesla would remove the ability to purchase the suite outright for $8,000. This would give the vehicle Full Self-Driving for its entire lifespan, but Tesla intended to move away from it, for several reasons, one being that a tranche in the CEO’s pay package requires 10 million active subscriptions of FSD.
Although Tesla moved back the deadline in other countries, it has now taken effect in the U.S. on Sunday morning. Tesla updated its website to reflect this:
🚨 Tesla has officially moved the outright purchase option for FSD on its website pic.twitter.com/RZt1oIevB3
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 15, 2026
There are still some concerns regarding its price, as $99 per month is not where many consumers are hoping to see the subscription price stay.
Musk has said that as capabilities improve, the price will go up, but it seems unlikely that 10 million drivers will want to pay an extra $100 every month for the capability, even if it is extremely useful.
Instead, many owners and fans of the company are calling for Tesla to offer a different type of pricing platform. This includes a tiered-system that would let owners pick and choose the features they would want for varying prices, or even a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual pricing option, which would incentivize longer-term purchasing.
Although Musk and other Tesla are aware of FSD’s capabilities and state is is worth much more than its current price, there could be some merit in the idea of offering a price for Supervised FSD and another price for Unsupervised FSD when it becomes available.
Tesla Giga Berlin dispute against IG Metall union leads to investigation
Tesla rolls out xAI’s Grok to vehicles across Europe
