The report also went on to say that the work was done by an outside contractor - to me that suggests that for complex systems like this outsourcing the project may not have been the best idea.
larry On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 11:53:42 -0400, Angel Stewart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > "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 > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Purchase from House of Fusion, a Macromedia Authorized Affiliate and support the CF community. http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=34 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:132546 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=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
