[meteorite-list] Mars Odyssey Puts Itself Into Safe Standby

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 18:09:43 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <200912020209.nB229haE028749_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2009-181

Orbiter Puts Itself Into Safe Standby
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
November 30, 2009

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter put itself into a safe
standby mode on Saturday, Nov. 28, and the team operating the spacecraft
has begun implementing careful steps designed to resume Odyssey's
science and relay operations within about a week.

Engineers have diagnosed the cause of the Nov. 28 event as the
spacecraft's proper response to a memory error with a known source. The
likely cause is an upset in the orbiter's "memory error external bus,"
as was the case with a similar event in June 2008.

In safe mode over the weekend, Odyssey remained in communication with
ground controllers and maintained healthy temperatures and power. To
clear the memory error, the team commanded Odyssey today to perform a
cold reboot of the orbiter's onboard computer. The spacecraft reported
that the reboot had been completed successfully.

"This event is a type we have seen before, so we have a known and tested
path to resuming normal operations," said Odyssey Project Manager Philip
Varghese of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Odyssey has been orbiting Mars since 2001. In addition to its own major
scientific discoveries and continuing studies of the planet, the Odyssey
mission has played important roles in supporting the missions of the
Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity and the Phoenix Mars Lander.

Until Odyssey is available again as a communications relay, Spirit and
Opportunity will be operating with direct communications to and from Earth.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena,
manages Mars Odyssey for the NASA Science Mission Directorate,
Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime
contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. Additional
information about Odyssey is at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/odyssey.

Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
guy.webster at jpl.nasa.gov

2009-181
Received on Tue 01 Dec 2009 09:09:43 PM PST