Contact lost with Mars Global Surveyor

[Steeplerot]

Nasa's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has been out of contact with Earth for more than a week.

Engineers have been trying to re-establish communication with the probe, which could be showing its age after 10 years in space.

The spacecraft has entered "safe mode", awaiting further instructions from controllers on Earth.

Since then, the spacecraft has not confirmed receiving a command to point one of its transmitters to Earth.

MGS was launched in November 1996, operating longer than any Martian craft.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6144092.stm



Well, 10 years was a great run for a probe only expected to last 1 or 2, from what I understand we have 3 more out there still, maybe someday we will have a museum for these old workhorses.

MGS Website with some of the last stunning polar view images sent back before it shut down.

 

[K1052]

Not too bad. A lot of NASA's probes are working long past expectancy.

 

[Steeplerot]

Originally posted by: K1052
Not too bad. A lot of NASA's probes are working long past expectancy.

I agree, NASA has done a fine job with such a small budget, something we all can be proud of regardless of the occasional setbacks.

 

[slash196]

NASA is definitely one of best examples of government in action, at least when they're allowed by the rest of the government to do their jobs.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: Steeplerot

Originally posted by: K1052
Not too bad. A lot of NASA's probes are working long past expectancy.

I agree, NASA has done a fine job with such a small budget, something we all can be proud of regardless of the occasional setbacks.

The next rover they are launching is supposed to be powered by a couple spare RTGs from the Cassini mission. They plan to pack the thing with more instruments than ever before (even a laser to vaporize rock samples for analysis) to take advantage of the power. It will also operate continously unlike it's sun dependant predecessors.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: Steeplerot

Originally posted by: K1052
Not too bad. A lot of NASA's probes are working long past expectancy.

I agree, NASA has done a fine job with such a small budget, something we all can be proud of regardless of the occasional setbacks.

Hell yeah... Spirit and Opportunity were only supposed to last for a few weeks. More than a year later, they are banged up, but still functional. We still have signal from Voyager 1 & 2 and they have been out there for 30 years.

 

[Zorba]

Originally posted by: slash196
NASA is definitely one of best examples of government in action, at least when they're allowed by the rest of the government to do their jobs.

And the governments ability to do a lot without massive budgets if forced to.

Hopefully they can regain communications shortly.

 

[Jeff7]

That poor ah heck's safe moded quite a few times, but this time it's gone quiet too, which is worrying.


They're hoping to try to use Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to get a picture of MGS, to try to see if its orientation is what it's supposed to be. The image could be taken at up to 10cm per pixel, not bad, considering that it might be 100km away.


Still, MGS has had a damn fine run. It was to have a 1-Martian-year original mission, about 2 Earth years. It's now 10 years old.

Originally posted by: K1052
The next rover they are launching is supposed to be powered by a couple spare RTGs from the Cassini mission. They plan to pack the thing with more instruments than ever before (even a laser to vaporize rock samples for analysis) to take advantage of the power. It will also operate continously unlike it's sun dependant predecessors.

Spares? I don't think so. It's the same sort of technology, which relies on heat produced by the decay of plutonium-238.

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Hell yeah... Spirit and Opportunity were only supposed to last for a few weeks. More than a year later, they are banged up, but still functional. We still have signal from Voyager 1 & 2 and they have been out there for 30 years.

The Voyager probes have the luxury of not having to drag themselves across dirt and rocks though. They've also shut down some of their instruments to allow enough power to keep others working. For rovers on Mars, I think that the most power-intensive activity would be moving around. That could be stopped, and you'd be left with what amounts to a lander. Though I guess with their nifty ChemCam laser, they could do all kinds of remote sensing from one spot. The MastCam will also provide very high res images, and it includes a 10:1 zoom lens. It can also take video at up to 10fps - let's hope for an active dust devil season.


The loss of MGS will be unfortunate, but it won't shut down Mars science. We've still got MRO, Mars Oddysey, and Europe's got Mars Express.

 

[sandorski]

It had a good run. Perhaps some day soon we can retreive it and put it in a museum somewhere.

 

[Lemon law]

Maybe someday intelligent life will be discovered on earth by such a probe---but after long searching---many like Diogenes---have given up after discovering much totally dumb life.

 

[newmachineoverlord]

The Martians finally spotted us. A communications disruption can mean only one thing: Invasion.

 

[BoberFett]

Is it running Windows? I know sometimes when my computer boots into Safe Mode I have a helluva time getting it back up and running.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Is it running Windows? I know sometimes when my computer boots into Safe Mode I have a helluva time getting it back up and running.

It is sitting there waiting for someone to click "OK".

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: newmachineoverlord
The Martians finally spotted us. A communications disruption can mean only one thing: Invasion.

Oh no, weesa gonna be in big doo-doo now!

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Is it running Windows? I know sometimes when my computer boots into Safe Mode I have a helluva time getting it back up and running.

You think it would have lasted this long on Windows? Probably would have had all kinds of problems rebooting with that RPC bug thing. Imagine uploading the service packs to Mars at the max of 500 bits per second through MGS' high gain antenna, or 7.8 bits per second through its low gain antenna.

 

[DealMonkey]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Is it running Windows? I know sometimes when my computer boots into Safe Mode I have a helluva time getting it back up and running.

It is sitting there waiting for someone to click "OK".

I'm clicking! I'm clicking as fast as I can!

 

[techs]

Shut down into "Safe Mode" after 10 years of service
Sigh.
Press "F8" and choose "Start Mars Explorer Normally"

 

[Schadenfroh]

The aliens finally decided to shot it down.