Computer programming into the wee hours of the morning

I enjoy learning about our nation's past space exploration and our current endeavors.
I've tinkered with and enjoyed mild amounts of computer programming since grade 6.
The current Mars mission combines both as this article describes.

Something about having to write code everyday to keep a spaceship parked on Mars running, with the pressure of just one bad command possibly rendering the ship inoperable, grabs my interest. Just the idea of transmitting code across millions of miles fascinates me.

With the Mars day spanning a half hour longer than ours, I'm assuming they've got the right people working on the mission. As I worked toward my AA degree in Computer Science back in college I bugged-out of the program at 3am one morning while working on the semester project. I've never regretted that decision, but I hope the folks working on Phoenix have a greater tolerance for programming late into the night than I did, or still do.