"NASA is setting up an anomaly review board to look into the fate of its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, which was last heard from on December 6. Attempts to make contact with the Mars orbiter are ongoing. The final fragments of data indicated that the spacecraft was tumbling and had possibly changed trajectory. The MAVEN team is analyzing snippets of data recovered from a December 6 radio science campaign to develop a timeline of possible events."
""So whatever has happened, it hasn't been able to reach safe mode for some unknown reason," Godfrey speculated. "So problems that could result in loss of attitude, possible orbit change, would suggest problems affecting GNC [Guidance, Navigation, and Control]. Could be an onboard computer failure, stuck valve, run out of fuel etc. Possibly a problem with the reaction wheels? In any case, something that caused the thrusters to fire in an unbalanced fashion from which the spacecraft was unable to recover autonomously.""
An anomaly review board is being established to investigate loss of contact with the MAVEN orbiter, last heard from on December 6. Attempts to reestablish communication are ongoing. Final data fragments indicated the spacecraft was tumbling and may have changed trajectory. Snippets from a December 6 radio science campaign are under analysis to build a timeline and identify likely causes. Unexpected rotation and inconsistent Doppler readings point toward an energetic onboard event rather than a collision with debris. Potential causes include GNC failures, onboard computer faults, stuck valves, fuel depletion, reaction wheel issues, or unbalanced thruster firings. MAVEN entered Mars orbit in 2014 and serves as a relay for surface rovers.
Read at Theregister
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]