14 DAY TRIAL // Next week, the team managing NASA's Mars Odissey spacecraft will perform a risky computer reboot, in order to address a long-standing, known issue with the probe's internal memory. If left unchecked, this vulnerability could cause a lot of damage to the craft, and could hinder the astronomers behind the project from obtaining additional information about the Red Planet. The ship has been in orbit for the last eight years, and has thus far experienced only minor glitches, as far as its computers, memories and operating systems go.
The main reason why the team has decided to do the reboot now is the lengthly period of time that has passed since the ship has become exposed to the harsh space radiation environment. The last such operation was performed in 2003, on October 31st. In addition to fixing this problem, the Odissey team also hopes to find out if the back-up systems on the spacecraft still work. In case of future emergencies, these systems will have to kick in and prevent the MRO from losing altitude and falling from orbit.
“We have lost no functionality, but there would be advantages to knowing whether the B side [backup system] is available. We have developed a careful plan for attempting to determine that,” Gaylon McSmith, the mission manager for the Odyssey, who is currently working out of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, explains. The craft deserves so much attention, experts say, as it has proven to be invaluable in assisting other Mars missions, such as the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, as well as the Phoenix lander.
The need for the reboot comes after last week's glitch, when an error of unknown origin sent the craft's main computers into safe mode, so as to prevent further damage from occurring. Even now, the team is not exactly sure what caused the crash, but it seems determined not to experience anything like this again in the future.