"No matter how hard one tries, small (and large) errors in the design phase can slip through the cracks. For space craft, a 99 percent successful mission can be totally wiped out if that error manifests itself on the final journey home. That apparently happened with the Genesis space probe when it crash landed in a Utah desert back in September.
An investigation into the probe's parachute deployment failure has now focused on a set of gravity switches that appear to have been installed backwards. Errors in Lockheed Martin design drawings for the switches has been identified as the likely cause of the failure, and these errors went undetected when the Lockheed Martin designs were given additional scrutiny after the failures of the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander. The gravity switches were designed to sense the braking the probe experienced when entering the Earth's atmosphere and activate a timer that controlled parachute release. All four sensors were installed backwards (two primary and two backup) and never sensed the braking and therefore parachutes were never deployed. In spite of the flaw and eventual crash, NASA scientists have secured samples from the probe and expect to accomplish most of the research goals of the mission." I still say that the evidence seems to suggest that humans just aren't up to the task of delivering on complex scientific projects. It seems impossible to eliminate error, whether in software, or complex mechanics. Anything that seems to require very precise logic and operation, seems doomed to fail the first few times around, simply because people are people. These NASA Engineers are certainly not stupid, lazy, or underfunded to the point where they are deliberately cutting corners. These errors are just...human errors. -Gel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Sams Teach Yourself Regular Expressions in 10 Minutes by Ben Forta http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=40 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:132529 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
