14 DAY TRIAL // Experts at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, have recently released a new report, detailing the condition of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Having suffered its fourth glitch this year, the craft is not exactly in the best shape of its life, mission planners say. Analysis of the latest safe-mode instance has revealed a vulnerability to the effects of subsequent events. At this point, the team is working on removing the vulnerability, and also on analyzing the chain of events that this year led to either the MRO rebooting its computer, or switching to its backup one.
“The team is keeping the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in a precautionary 'safe' mode, with healthy power, temperatures and communications, while continuing analysis and precautions subsequent to the latest rebooting, on August 26th. Science observations will likely not resume for several weeks while this preventive care is the mission's priority,” a press release on JPL's website says. Already in its mission extension, the craft has considerably contributed to the advancement of knowledge about Mars, and the team is not about to let go of hope.
According to the latest available analysis, there is a remote possibility that the craft can be damaged beyond repair. This could only happen if the two computer systems aboard the spacecraft have severe glitches, each worst than any recorded so far, at an interval of less than a few minutes apart. If that happens, the combined effect on MRO's navigations systems, as well as on the instruments, could be too severe to “treat” from the Earth, and would require direct intervention on the hardware. This is, naturally, impossible with our current technology.
One of the main strategies the controllers opted for once the first error started popping up was to order the MRO to start recording large amounts of engineering data onto its non-volatile memory. Their hope was that, during future glitches, the needed data would be preserved and available for recovery later. The hope is now that, after the craft is reverted back to its full function, its recorded data will be used to determine the source of the flaw.
There are no immediate threats to the security of the instrument itself. Power, temperatures and battery charge are all within normal limits or higher, so there is no danger there. While suspended in safe mode, the craft is only capable of basic operations, while other non-essential activities, such as photographing Mars, are shut down.
Launched in 2006, the MRO has been surveying the Red Planet with its six instruments ever since. However, glitches continuously occurred over the duration of the mission, with a record-setting four taking place this year alone, in February, June and August. In most of these instances, engineers are not yet exactly sure why the errors appeared.