Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

NASA Finds, Fixes Small Glitch in LADEE Moon Probe

Posted by timothy on from the now-for-some-space-mining-action dept.

Friday's moon-bound NASA launch from Wallops Island went well, but, says NBC News, "[H]ours after the 11:27 p.m. EDT (0327 GMT) liftoff, NASA officials reported that the spacecraft's reaction wheels — which spin to position and stabilize LADEE in space without using precious thruster fuel — unexpectedly shut down. By Saturday afternoon, the glitch had been traced to safety limits programmed into LADEE before launch to protect the reaction wheel system, NASA officials said. Those fault protection limits caused LADEE to switch off its reaction wheels shortly after powering them up, according to a mission status update. Engineers have since disabled the safety limits causing the glitch and taking extra care in restoring the fault-protection protocols."

11 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. wheels... by Longjmp · · Score: 3, Funny

    Maybe NASA are rocket scientists, but it seems they still have trouble getting wheels going
    ;-)

    --
    There are fewer illiterates than people who can't read.
    1. Re:wheels... by confused+one · · Score: 3, Interesting

      ok, here's a challenge for you... design a flywheel based guidance system. make it redundant. make it work in the most inhospitable environment known to man -- space. hard vacuum. reactive ions (free ionic oxygen). radiation. operating temperature range -200 degF to 200 degF. The only cooling option for your motors and electronics is via a liquid loop and a large radiator. power is limited to a few tens of watts from a solar panel. You have to design it so it works for a decade without maintenance or repairs. good luck.

    2. Re:wheels... by jonfr · · Score: 2

      We use kelvin in space. Not old and outdated Fahrenheit.

      About Kelvin, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin

      Based on the moon, the space temperature is around 120K (-153C) in our solar system this close to the sun on the dark side.

      Temperature on the moon, http://www.space.com/18175-moon-temperature.html

    3. Re:wheels... by confused+one · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I work for a sensor company. If you want Kelvin, then I'll use Kelvin. I don't really care if it's Celsius, Rankine, or frequency of cricket chirps. Our environmental chambers happen to be set up in Fahrenheit, because our production staff is comfortable with those units; and I used degF because it's what the U.S. centric audience would know. You might be surprised to know that in the real world, people might not use the scale you expect them to, even if it's a standard.

    4. Re:wheels... by Longjmp · · Score: 2

      Our environmental chambers happen to be set up in Fahrenheit, because our production staff is comfortable with those units;

      I assume some people involved in this were also very comfortable with their units.

      --
      There are fewer illiterates than people who can't read.
    5. Re:wheels... by confused+one · · Score: 2

      I don't have that conversion factor in my books; however, if you are willing to provide me with the information, then YES, I'd be happy to calibrate your sensors in units of "fires of a thousand suns".

  2. Last words... by Gothmolly · · Score: 2

    You arrogant ass, you've killed us!

    --
    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
  3. Switched them off because of a silly safety limit? by osu-neko · · Score: 3, Funny

    Jeb would never do that. Jeb has no limits.

    --
    "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
  4. about the nice LADEE! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2

    hello nice LADEE! http://www.space.com/22639-moon-dust-mystery-nasa-spacecraft.html

    The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft is expected to investigate lunar dust and the moon's extremely thin atmosphere once the craft makes it into orbit around Earth's closest celestial neighbor about 30 days after launch.

    that's right, the moon has an atmosphere kinda. it's technically an exosphere.

    In the moon's atmosphere, there are only 100 molecules per cubic centimeter. In comparison, Earth's atmosphere at sea level has about 100 billion billion molecules per cubic centimeter. The total mass of these gases is about 55,000 pounds (25,000 kilograms), about the same weight as a loaded dump truck.

    before you ask, neither LADEE nor the internet is a big truck.

    what they aren't telling you is that the NSA is coercing NASA to ***CARRIER LOST***

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  5. Just like Star Trek... by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 3, Funny

    Every time they had an insurmountable engineering problem, the Chief Engineer just says "override the safeties" and everything is fine. Good to know NASA is finally catching up to The Final Frontier!

    --
    In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  6. In space ... by PPH · · Score: 2

    ... no one can hear your jokes WHOOOOSH.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.