Glitch Forces Mars Orbiter to Reboot Main Computer

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has unexpectedly rebooted its main computer and entered a protective safe mode after being hit by stray cosmic ray or solar particle as while circling the red planet.The event occurred Wednesday night at 9:10 p.m. EDT (0110 June 4 GMT) and appears similar to a glitch that stalled the powerful Mars orbiter's science work in February, mission managers said.


"The flight team is cautiously bringing the orbiter back to normal operations," orbiter project manager Jim Erickson at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement released Thursday. "We should be resuming our exploration of Mars by next week."

Source

Stray cosmic ray? Solar particle? I don't know about those explnations they seem pretty "cookie cutter" if you ask me. I wonder whats really going on with that orbiter I just have trouble trusting NASA anymore, any ideas on what this "malfunction" might really be?

As "cookie cutter" as it may sound, solar flares will mess with electronics big time, we're obviously pretty safe here on earth because of the protection provided by the magnetosphere but Mars' magnetosphere is virtually non existent so the orbiter is susceptible to any incoming particles.

reply to post by Chadwickus


I think NASA is claiming it's in stanby mode right now while they take photos of the really good stuff, that way they can isolate the data and "filter" out what they don't want the public to see. And if something does get passed them they can always claim "solar particles" excusse.

[edit on 5-6-2009 by alyosha1981]

surly it would have suffered the worst of rays on its way to mars?

Is the old Tesla statement of 36" of lead protection provided by the
Earth's atmosphere beginning to sink in.

Obviously the statement by the discoverer of high speed particles
shot from Stars is the cause for calling high speed particles
Cosmic Rays to calm people down.

As secondary effects we live surrounded by ions (100 per cu cm)
and voltage levels a few volts per meter.

ED: I'm trying to find some data on the Earth and electricity
and look where I ended up:

The clear-air voltage gradient of Earth at sea level is about 100 volts per meter.

Martian Storms Point To Electric Universe

Just wanted to add to the Electrical Earth information.
The internet is not such an information highway Gore said it was.


[edit on 6/5/2009 by TeslaandLyne]

reply to post by MR BOB


It was protected by a shield during it's journey to mars.