Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?

Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?

[Peter Chapin]

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

Re: Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?

[Simon Wright]

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 ...

Re: Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?

[Dirk Craeynest]

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

Re: Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?

[R. B. Love]

What is a "Demonstrator Module"?   It is in actual control?   I guess
we'll have to wait.

Re: Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?

[Dirk Craeynest]

In article <87zill8fm7.fsf@airmail.net>, R. B. Love <rblove@airmail.net> wrote:
>What is a "Demonstrator Module"?   It is in actual control?   I guess
>we'll have to wait.

The "Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM)" is the
technical name for what is also known as the Schiaparelli lander.

<http://exploration.esa.int/mars/47852-entry-descent-and-landing-demonstrator-module/>

Re: Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?

[Adam Jensen]

On 10/30/2016 03:19 AM, Dirk Craeynest wrote:
> 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/

Supposition: what if having people say the same thing repeatedly in a
variety of verbose ways isn't the best way to insure that:

a) they understand what they are saying, and
b) what they are saying is correct.

Re: Failure of the Schiaparelli lander: A software problem?

[R. B. Love]

OK, I didn't understand the use of "demonstrator".    I hope it's not
the situation that Europe lost two spacecraft using Ada.   I work at
NASA and see Ada fading in favor of C++.

I will wait for the actual ESA report.