* Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?
@ 2016-10-29 16:45 Peter Chapin
2016-10-29 17:02 ` Simon Wright
2016-10-30 7:19 ` Dirk Craeynest
0 siblings, 2 replies; 7+ messages in thread
From: Peter Chapin @ 2016-10-29 16:45 UTC (permalink / raw)
While not specifically Ada related, this is a topic that might be of interest to many in this group. As you may know the Schiaparelli Mars lander recently crashed to the surface of Mars instead of landing softly as intended. The article here provides some details:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-blogs/schiaparelli-requiem-for-a-mars-lander/
According to the article the spacecraft jettisoned its heat shield and parachute early and then, even worse, turned off the descent engines while the spacecraft was still over a mile from the ground. The article says,
"... a computer glitch seems to have confused the lander, as miscommunication between its onboard navigational system and radar erroneously told Schiaparelli it was near the surface."
I'm not sure what "computer glitch" means, exactly, but this sounds like a software failure of some kind. Does anyone here have access to more information about this? Was this a software failure? If so, what was the nature of the failure, and was it something the use of Ada (or SPARK) might have avoided?
I realize the ESA is still analyzing the telemetry from the lander so perhaps more details will come to light in time.
Peter
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 7+ messages in thread
* Re: Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?
2016-10-29 16:45 Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem? Peter Chapin
@ 2016-10-29 17:02 ` Simon Wright
2016-10-30 7:19 ` Dirk Craeynest
1 sibling, 0 replies; 7+ messages in thread
From: Simon Wright @ 2016-10-29 17:02 UTC (permalink / raw)
Also according to the article, "Now for the good news: a software glitch
should be a relatively easy fix, as opposed to the prospect of
re-engineering a fundamental flaw in the hardware.". Not so sure about
this ...
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 7+ messages in thread
* Re: Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?
2016-10-29 16:45 Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem? Peter Chapin
2016-10-29 17:02 ` Simon Wright
@ 2016-10-30 7:19 ` Dirk Craeynest
2016-10-31 1:35 ` R. B. Love
2016-10-31 10:29 ` Adam Jensen
1 sibling, 2 replies; 7+ messages in thread
From: Dirk Craeynest @ 2016-10-30 7:19 UTC (permalink / raw)
In article <04236df5-938d-49df-a74e-01faac6f7a15@googlegroups.com>,
Peter Chapin <spicacality@gmail.com> wrote:
>http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-blogs/schiaparelli-requiem-for-a-mars-lander/
[...]
>"... a computer glitch seems to have confused the lander, as
>miscommunication between its onboard navigational system and radar
>erroneously told Schiaparelli it was near the surface."
[...]
>Was this a software failure? If so, what was the nature of the
>failure, and was it something the use of Ada (or SPARK) might
>have avoided?
FYI, in a press release [1] earlier this year, AdaCore wrote:
Thales Alenia Space implemented in Ada two ExoMars On-Board Software
(OBSW) components: one for the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) on an ERC32
target, and one for the Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator
Module (EDM) on a LEON2 target.
So there already was (at least some) Ada software on the Schiaparelli
lander. The above quote seems to suggest that all software on the
lander was in Ada, as the latter is named as one of the two components
implemented in Ada...
Maybe someone from AdaCore or Thales on CLA can tell us more?
[1] http://www.adacore.com/press/ada-on-board-gnat-pro-helps-exomars-get-to-the-red-planet/
Dirk
Dirk.Craeynest@cs.kuleuven.be (for Ada-Belgium/Ada-Europe/SIGAda/WG9)
*** 22nd Intl.Conf.on Reliable Software Technologies - Ada-Europe'2017
*** June 12-16, 2017 *** Vienna, Austria *** http://www.ada-europe.org
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2016-10-29 16:45 Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem? Peter Chapin
2016-10-29 17:02 ` Simon Wright
2016-10-30 7:19 ` Dirk Craeynest
2016-10-31 1:35 ` R. B. Love
2016-10-31 6:48 ` Dirk Craeynest
2016-11-01 3:16 ` R. B. Love
2016-10-31 10:29 ` Adam Jensen
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