Software Bug Causes Soyuz To Land Way Off

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Software Bug Causes Soyuz To Land Way Off

Posted by timothy on Monday May 5, 2003 @01:54PM from the in-post-soviet-russia dept.

howhardcanitbetocrea writes "A mysterious software fault in the new guidance computer of the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft was the cause of the high-anxiety off-course landing over the weekend, according to NASA sources.' Which is why I will never trust the Strategic Defence Initiative - the star wars project. It only takes one line of mistyped code in what will always be a beta release."

21 of 531 comments (clear)

In Soviet Russia... by TheVidiot · 2003-05-05 13:55 · Score: 5, Funny

ahhh... it's just too obvious!
1. Re:In Soviet Russia... by Scoria · 2003-05-05 14:00 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  No, it isn't. I haven't ever observed this joke. Is this intended to be humorous? In Soviet Russia, what? I'm confused. :-)
  
  --
  Do you like German cars?
In other news.... by Surak · 2003-05-05 13:56 · Score: 3, Funny

Microsoft announced that a patch to "Windows XP for Spacecraft" will be available on Wednesday.

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My journal has hot /. gossip.
1. Re:In other news.... by jrl87 · 2003-05-05 14:02 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I've already got it...
  
  I can't even lauch my rocket now ...
  
  I press the launch button and it starts to fire up the engine but then the engine falls of and the rocket breaks apart...
  
  Do you know when they're going to release the patch for the patch?
2. Re:In other news.... by the+uNF+cola · 2003-05-05 14:49 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Forgive the pun, but you need a non-warez activation key. After billy gave away his, everyone has been false-launching the rocket.
  
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  --
  "I'm not bright. Big words confuse me. But Wanda loves me and that should be enough for you." - Cosmo
3. Re: In other news.... by Black+Parrot · 2003-05-05 16:07 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  > I've already got it... I can't even lauch my rocket now ...
  
  Ask your doctor about Viagra.
  
  --
  Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Great... by DCowern · 2003-05-05 13:59 · Score: 5, Funny

Now we have frikken astronauts beating up on poor anonymous software developpers... quoth the article

There was also the real possibility of crew error, and on Sunday, the head of the corporation that builds and operates the Soyuz spacecraft, Yuriy Semyonov, suggested that "one of the Americans" had pushed the backup-mode activation button. Bowersox was the only American who had any active role in the descent (it was astronaut Donald Pettit's job to follow the checklists), and he denied touching the button -- which, he joked, was being guarded carefully by Russian cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin. "We don't think we did anything to cause that to happen," he later said to a NASA press official.

Yeah... right... if I had a nickle for every time I heard an end user say something similar to that ("I swear I didn't touch anything... it just... crashed..." or "The files just... disappeared! Gone! Disappeared! I didn't do anything!") I'd have...well...a lot of nickles...

/me mumbles bittlerly and goes back into his development hole :P
SDI? by Tailhook · 2003-05-05 13:59 · Score: 2, Funny

"Which is why I will never trust the Strategic Defence Initiative - the star wars project"

Strategic Defence Initiative = the star wars project

What was the thinking behind clarifying that to the Slashdot crowd?

Microprocessor, main processing unit of your computer...

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Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
Re:Why single out SDI? by benna · 2003-05-05 14:00 · Score: 3, Funny

Yes but SDI may end up actually sending a laser beam to burn your house down. A FUCKING LASER BEAM!

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"It is not how things are in the world that is mystical, but that it exists." -Ludwig Wittgenstein
Destructive Testing by peacefinder · 2003-05-05 14:01 · Score: 5, Funny

"Which is why I will never trust the Strategic Defence Initiative - the star wars project. It only takes one line of mistyped code in what will always be a beta release."

Well, let's hope it stays in beta. Real world testing would be a major bummer!

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With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter. -- William Lloyd
IN POST-SOVIET RUSSIA (actually KAZAKHSTAN) by sulli · 2003-05-05 14:12 · Score: 3, Funny

the dept. forgets to read YOU!

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sulli
RTFJ.
Re:Why single out SDI? by FredThompson · 2003-05-05 14:14 · Score: 4, Funny

Yeah, well, the computer chip in your car would make the engine blow up while you're driving at high speed on a crowded road. THE FUCKING ROAD!!! A traffic signal could go wrong and you could get in an accident. A FUCKING ACCIDENT!!! The guidance system on an airplane could have a glitch and you crash. A FUCKING AIRPLANE!!! The registers in the supermarket use lasers to determine your bill. FUCKING LASER BEAMS!!!

You're being FUCKING STUPID!!!
Re:ah, right by Kaeru+the+Frog · 2003-05-05 14:37 · Score: 2, Funny

Heh..

10 LAT = LAT + 1
20 LONG = LONG + 1
30 GOSUB FIRELASER
40 GOTO 10

I know it won't cause as much destruction as possible but I've forgoten how to for loops in Basic. Besides, everybody knows gotos are funnier.
Re:How did you bring SDI into this? by PissedOffGuy · 2003-05-05 14:46 · Score: 2, Funny

you're an idiot. the point is that the whole article is a troll, much like most other articles on slashdot. oh but wait, you're a troll too.
Re:ah, right by Rolo+Tomasi · 2003-05-05 14:54 · Score: 4, Funny

Judging from the PATRIOT III missile system we used in Kuwait recently, the technology is just getting better and better.
Yeah, those British blokes in their Tornado never knew what hit them.

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Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with used motor oil?
a bug in the SDI code could suck. by sstory · 2003-05-05 15:07 · Score: 2, Funny

I mean, I'd hate to be shot in the face by a space laser.
Re:ah, right by sean23007 · 2003-05-05 15:27 · Score: 3, Funny

Maybe it's best not to bring these kinds of situations up. After all, we might start bombing fishing boats and FedEx trucks on account of the clear and present danger they obviously pose to national security...

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Lack of eloquence does not denote lack of intelligence, though they often coincide.
Offending code found in code review... by Anonymous Coward · 2003-05-05 15:33 · Score: 1, Funny

char *string = "seineew era sreenignE ASAN";

char foobar[10];

strcpy(foobar,string);

display();
In Soviet Russia ... by njchick · 2003-05-05 15:44 · Score: 0, Funny

wrong buttons press YOU!
Greedy moderator bastards.... by Leeji · 2003-05-05 16:37 · Score: 2, Funny

You greedy moderators are all bastards. I wanted to mod this +funny, but selfish moderators before me already capped the post! CAPPED THE FUCKING POST!!!

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It all goes downhill from first post ...
Re:Bugs = "Spoilage" in Japan by t0ny · 2003-05-05 18:00 · Score: 2, Funny

Calling a fault a bug is historical.
First computer bug [navy.mil]. You will need to scroll down to the bottom to see the it. The rest of the page talks about Grace Hopper, who helped coin the phrase.
Does anyone else find it ironic that Grace Hopper found a bug?

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