Software problem may have caused MGS loss
Posted: Thu, Jan 11, 2007, 7:47 AM ET (1247 GMT)
NASA officials said this week a big in software uploaded to the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft may have led to the permanent loss of communications the spacecraft suffered in November. John McNamee, deputy program manager for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, said at a meeting in the Washington DC area earlier this week that software uploaded to MGS in June overwrote two memory addresses, eventually causing the gimbals that move the spacecraft's solar arrays to hit a hard stop. This put the spacecraft into a safe mode that could have been recovered from, but the spacecraft's radiators were pointed towards the Sun, causing the battery to overheat and fail, dooming the orbiter. That analysis is considered preliminary, and on Wednesday NASA announced that it was convening an internal review board to review the cause of the spacecraft's failure. MGS had been orbiting Mars for over nine years when communications with the spacecraft were lost on November 2.
NASA officials said this week a big in software uploaded to the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft may have led to the permanent loss of communications the spacecraft suffered in November. John McNamee, deputy program manager for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, said at a meeting in the Washington DC area earlier this week that software uploaded to MGS in June overwrote two memory addresses, eventually causing the gimbals that move the spacecraft's solar arrays to hit a hard stop. This put the spacecraft into a safe mode that could have been recovered from, but the spacecraft's radiators were pointed towards the Sun, causing the battery to overheat and fail, dooming the orbiter. That analysis is considered preliminary, and on Wednesday NASA announced that it was convening an internal review board to review the cause of the spacecraft's failure. MGS had been orbiting Mars for over nine years when communications with the spacecraft were lost on November 2.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, July 4
Coolest spacecraft ever in orbit around L2
ESA — 4:24 am ET (0824 GMT) Moonwalker Aldrin says we should colonise Mars
The Herald — 4:23 am ET (0823 GMT) Interest in space memorabilia takes a leap
Financial Times — 4:22 am ET (0822 GMT) Evidence mounts that Mars was once habitable
Arizona Republic — 4:17 am ET (0817 GMT) First Moon images sent back by Nasa orbiter show incredible details just 10ft across
The Daily Mail — 4:17 am ET (0817 GMT) |