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Russia says 'software failure' caused thruster misfire at space station
space.com ^ | 07/31/2021 | Meghan Bartels

Posted on 07/31/2021 10:04:13 AM PDT by BenLurkin

Yesterday's unexpected tilting of the International Space Station was caused by a software glitch, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos.

A new Russian module dubbed Nauka arrived at the space station Thursday morning (July 29). In development for more than a decade, Nauka is designed to host science experiments, anchor visiting vehicles and serve as a gateway for spacewalks. However, while the module's arrival appeared to go smoothly, about three hours after docking, the module unexpectedly began firing its thrusters in an incident that caused the space station to tilt from its typical position for about 45 minutes in what engineers call a "loss of attitude control."

"Due to a short-term software failure, a direct command was mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines for withdrawal, which led to some modification of the orientation of the complex as a whole," Roscosmos officials wrote in a statement published on Friday (July 30).

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: elonmusk; iss; russia; spacex; tesla
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To: BenLurkin

Is this the same Russia where their computer experts threw the election to Trump? Asking for a friend.


21 posted on 07/31/2021 3:00:48 PM PDT by VTenigma (The Democrat party is the party of the mathematically challenged )
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To: motor_racer

Ever heard of “stack overflow”?


22 posted on 07/31/2021 5:44:20 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: BenLurkin
"turn on the module's engines for withdrawal"

Okay, I have waited a while for someone else to ask the queston:

*Why do the Russians need a escape mode for their added module to the ISS?"

23 posted on 07/31/2021 8:18:22 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure.)
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To: GingisK

“Stack overflow is a programming error in which an attempt to write data to a particular block of memory fails because there is no space left in the block. This type of error happens in the same way as buffer overflows, heap overflows, and stack buffer overflows. The difference between these types of errors depends on the computer data structure being used, and the common feature is that an attempt occurs to write more data than there is available space to hold it.”

The point is, stack overflow is a programming error, and error made by the programmer, and occurs because the software attempted to do exactly what it was told to do. The failure was a human failure, by the programmer.


24 posted on 08/01/2021 2:08:55 AM PDT by motor_racer (Who will bell the cat?)
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To: PghBaldy

>> That’s what she said!

a reliably good line.


25 posted on 08/01/2021 2:12:02 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: GingisK; motor_racer

motor makes a good point.

“software failure” is really a reflection of programming failure.


26 posted on 08/01/2021 2:15:50 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Gene Eric

That is true.


27 posted on 08/01/2021 5:46:39 AM PDT by PghBaldy (12/14 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15 - 1030am - Obama's advance team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: motor_racer
No, a stack overflow is because the total size of automatic variables plus the return addresses in a call chain exceeds the allocated size of the stack. This can cause a fault in a program running in a different stack whenever a pointer or a return address is clobbered a neighboring stack. Now it looks like the error is in "program B" when it is actually in "program A". The blame goes to programmer B, who is innocent. His software failed, though there was no error or fault of any kind. Yes, this is still a software error. It is a failure "in software", therefore software failure.

Now another matter: Hardware errors do occur. Not as often as some programmers want to think, but is does occur. At particular risk are those devices made at a very small integration scale. Temperature extremes can be a source of error in program execution. There can be places in memory where the instructions are not read into the instruction decoder/sequencer as originally established by the program loader. Hardware failures expresses itself as software failures.

28 posted on 08/01/2021 1:39:30 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: motor_racer

Oops, I forgot. Overclocking can cause failures that are mistakes in program execution even when the software is without error.


29 posted on 08/01/2021 1:42:12 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: motor_racer; Gene Eric

Dang, I also got off track. This sort of failure might not be a software failure at all. It could be a problem with an auxiliary power supply, a solenoid or relay driver, a malfunction at a valve, or even a fault in wiring or the associated connectors. Oh, a hardware failure.


30 posted on 08/01/2021 2:00:33 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: motor_racer
Sorry, here I am again. Do you notice anything strange about this sentence: "Due to a short-term software failure, a direct command was mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines for withdrawal".

Ever seen a short-term software failure? A direct command was mistakenly implemented?

I've seen this sort of thing many times. Someone is blaming the software for a problem rather than confessing the real problem. The software people are down the food chain from the actual culprits.

31 posted on 08/01/2021 2:05:42 PM PDT by GingisK
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