Re: [OT] Spirit - Software failure

[Preben Randhol <randhol+valid_for_reply_from_news@pvv.org>]

On 2004-01-27, Preben Randhol <randhol+valid_for_reply_from_news@pvv.org> wrote:
> On 2004-01-27, Stephen Leake <stephen_leake@acm.org> wrote:
>> Deleting files isn't defrag. This report describes a plain old memory leak.
>>
>> Which probably would have been checked for if they had called the
>> software managing the flash ram a "memory management system" rather
>> than a "file system"; JPL programmers know they need to check for
>> memory leaks. But apparently they don't know they need to check for
>> full disks?
>
> I just read:
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50645-2004Jan26.html
>
> and it says:
>
>    To ease the burden on the rover's data collection and storage system,
>    engineers plan in the next day or so to start deleting hundreds of
>    the unnecessary files, she said. Opportunity's handlers will see to
>    it that any similar backlog in Opportunity's memory is also purged.
>
> I don't understand this. Did they think they could take pictures forever
> and the 256 Mb wouldn't be used up or there is a memory leake in the
> software so that when they now take pictures (perhaps with new
> instruments?) there isn't enough room to store the large pictures?
>
>
>> Hiding dynamic memory management under a file system metaphor is a bad
>> idea in so many ways ...
>
> Yes.
>
> Btw does anybody know how the colours on the photos are calibrated? If
> one look at the panorama pictures one can see that the colours on the
> rover are very strange. Especially the blue colour. Seems to me that the
> hue is not matching what one would expect from the photos of the rover
> on the nasa site (on earth).

I didn't mean the rover I meant the landing pad. If you look at the
picture here:

   http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft_instru_calibr.html

or better here

   http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040110a.html

and then compare with it here:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040126a/MERB_Sol1_Postcard-B002R1_br.jpg

the colours don't match.

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