NASA Loses Contact With Space Station Over Software Update

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NASA Loses Contact With Space Station Over Software Update

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday February 19, 2013 @08:08AM from the i-didn't-know-they-used-itunes dept.

kodiaktau writes "Reports early Tuesday morning say that a software update to the International Space Station caused a communications blackout with Houston control. Remediation of the update has allowed the astronauts limited communication every 90 minutes or so. It is expected that the issue will be resolved today."

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Should've read the manuals. by ZaMoose · 2013-02-19 08:10 · Score: 5, Funny

I mean, even my Linksys warns me to only update firmware when I've got an Ethernet cable plugged in to it, because you know how wireless upgrades go.

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1. Re:Should've read the manuals. by eksith · 2013-02-19 08:12 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  They don't make CAT6a cables that long :/
  
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  If computers were people, I'd be a misanthrope.
What could possibly go wrong? by IronHalik · 2013-02-19 08:11 · Score: 5, Informative

http://imgur.com/gallery/fv2rg9a
1. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by MrEricSir · 2013-02-19 08:27 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  And his next Tweet: https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/status/303807080433860608
  Scary!
  
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The rumor has it... by toxygen01 · 2013-02-19 08:15 · Score: 5, Funny

that it was Java update... what to say...
Windows 8 by puddingebola · 2013-02-19 08:16 · Score: 5, Funny

Actually, it was just some confusion when someone right swiped on Windows 8. The Charms bar came up and then the weather app launched and nobody knew how to close either one.
1. Re:Windows 8 by Dunbal · 2013-02-19 08:50 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  They were thinking "How can we grab some of Apple's share?" and apparently a "charms bar" is the way to go.
  
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2. Re:Windows 8 by Megane · 2013-02-19 09:08 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  They had to do something to compete with the Genius Bar at Apple stores!
  I hear Ubuntu is going to introduce a Granola Bar to compete with both of them.
  
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3. Re:Windows 8 by steelfood · 2013-02-19 09:24 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  The Charms bar came up
  I'll bet the problem arose because they thought it was strange.
  
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Communication Reestablished by NoKaOi · 2013-02-19 08:19 · Score: 5, Informative

http://www.space.com/19853-space-station-contact-lost-nasa.html

Update: NASA has reestablished contact with the International Space Station. For the latest news, read: NASA Restores Contact with Space Station

As far as NASA officials can tell, the space station's loss of communications was unrelated to the software update, Kelly Humphries, a public affairs specialist at NASA told SPACE.com. It was a coincidence that the space agency lost contact with the station as the computers were being updated.
Yep by roc97007 · 2013-02-19 08:20 · Score: 4, Insightful

Every time the offshore admins want to apply an update, I ask them "what is your contingency plan should you brick the server?" and they always answer "Call the vendor". Sigh.

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Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
1. Re:Yep by omglolbah · 2013-02-19 08:30 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  We do a full image backup of the server.
  Then we shut it down (they're all redundant) and remove one set of drives from the mirrored raid.
  Start back up.
  Run the update.
  Verify that the update went ok
  Perform new image backups.
  When everyone is satisfied shove the mirrored drives back in.
  Then again, we're "offshore" as in an oil rig and patching control system HMI servers... so I guess having a contingency plan would be required. This rig (where I am at now :p) makes 50 million USD a day in natural gas.. so uptime is paramount!
2. Re:Yep by roc97007 · 2013-02-19 08:41 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  That's a different, and probably more appropriate definition of "offshore". That also sounds like a very good procedure. I would have added "we only upgrade firmware to solve specific problems and vulnerabilities appropriate to our environment, not just because it's 'the latest'". But I'm told I'm too conservative.
  Here, the admins are offshore (as in, physically on the other side of the world) but the machines are still local. They've rebadged former mainframe operators to be "hands and eyes" in case a button has to be pushed or a memory stick changed out. Of course, "hands and eyes" have had no hardware training whatsoever. I made some fuss recently when I caught one of them changing out a memory stick with the gator clip on their wrist strap dangling in the air. The response was to raise the issue as to why I still had access to the computer room? Geh.
  
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  Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Hello, IT by Clancie · 2013-02-19 08:21 · Score: 5, Funny

Have you tried turning it off and on again?
1. Re:Hello, IT by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · 2013-02-19 08:57 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Also, being a space station, it explains why you didn't hear the 'WHOOSH'.
Don't worry, it's not bricked. by Nanoda · 2013-02-19 08:25 · Score: 5, Funny

Someone is going to have to hold down the button on the side for 10 seconds though.
1. Re:Don't worry, it's not bricked. by UltraZelda64 · 2013-02-19 08:46 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Smoke on the water... a massive brick in the sky...
Screen is stuck on this: by Bill+Hayden · 2013-02-19 08:32 · Score: 3, Funny

Applying update 8 of 27...

Please do not turn off your computer.

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Re:I don't think they update on the fly they send by war4peace · 2013-02-19 08:46 · Score: 3, Insightful

Yes. Have you heard of grammar?

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Software Verification and Validation by DERoss · 2013-02-19 10:53 · Score: 4, Interesting

I spent over 20 years of my career (now retired) working for a company that did independent verification and validation (IV&V) of software used by the military to operate its unmanned space satellites. Not once was a satellite lost from an error in the software if we were involved.
There were some 10 or more other, unrelated companies developing software for various space satellites. We did more than merely test the resulting products. We started by reviewing the developers' design documents; our reviews required responses or revisions before any coding could occur. Next we reviewed the developers' programming documents; our reviews required responses or revisions before programming could be completed. Then we reviewed the developers' test documents; our reviews required responses or revisions before the developers could conduct their own internal unit tests. We attended the conduct of those internal tests and audited the results to ensure that the purposes and criteria of the tests were satisfied.
Finally, the developers would deliver their software to us. We would test the products at the package and system level. We looked at how products from different developers interfaced with each other, whether human interfaces were reasonable, and whether the government's requirements had been met. Our test documents were reviewed by the military organizations that would be using the software, and we did not start testing until we responded or revised our test documents.
This IV&V process approximately doubled the cost of providing software. However, no such software caused a satellite to land on the White House or (worse) on the Kremlin. In the early 1990s, the Pentagon decided to save money by eliminating IV&V. I continued testing software for military satellites, but then it was within the companies that developed the software. When schedules or costs were at risk, testing was cut short.
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