Living on Mars time: NASA engineers bend their days to a 24h39m sol

Two NASA rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, run on a Martian day of 24 hours 39 minutes, so JPL staff spend about 90 sols living on Mars time, shifting their wake/sleep cycles and meals to align with Martian sunrise. Because of the signal delay, commands are scripted for the next sol rather than realtime control, and coping measures like blue-light lighting, blackout curtains, and timed caffeine help manage sleep loss and social dislocation. After the commissioning phase, teams gradually revert to Earth time, aided by increased rover autonomy (Mars Global Localization) that reduces the need for humans to chase Martian dawn.