Mars Rover to Keep Operating During Government Shutdown, Run by Contractor

97 percent of NASA employees furloughed

Despite what has been widely reported, a spokesperson at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has confirmed that NASA's Mars rover Curiosity will continue operating during the government shutdown.

"Because of JPL's status as a contractor, JPL employees are reporting to work as usual and rover operations are continuing today," Jane Platt told Weather.com. "Any changes to JPL's status will be assessed on a week-by-week basis as events unfold."