Update on Spirit

spaceflightnow.com ^ | 1/22/2004 | Jet Propulsion Laboratory

[Keith]

It sounds like they have been running some possible scenarios with the copy they have here on Earth, and looking for some possible fixes. If you want a reminder of how they will go about this, watch the sequence in "Apollo 13" where they try to solve the power problem in the LM. If anyone can fix this, the great Americans at the JPL can. God go with them...

[PokeyJoe]

safe mode

sounds.... windowsish

=)

[Mean Daddy]

Blue screen of death on Mars?

[Ramius]

On mars the color shift would probably make it some shade of Brown-screen-of-death.

It's good to hear they might be able to get it back and talking again.

[tet68]

the key thing that we are going to do next is to communicate with it tomorrow morning and ask it to send us some data down so we can do a diagnostic of what's the problem," Elachi said.


I'm sorry, I can't do that, Dave.

[Knute]

That's what they get for not registering the demo version of software they downloaded... The grace period has expired!

[Viking2002]

Heeheehahahahahahahaha............wouldn't that be a gas? LMAO :-D

[reed_inthe_wind]

safe mode

Sounds like an extra level of complexity to me. But, I am going to remember that line, for possible use later.

[Viking2002]

Yeah - they should've checked the freshness date on their crippleware....LOL

[cripplecreek]

they just need to send somebody out from the super secret military base on mars to give it a swift kick.

[observer5]

what keeps the Chinese from sending a command to shut down?

[Hank Rearden]

This just in from Dean Campaign HQ:

"The way we set the candidate is that if there is something abnormal, it goes into a certain safe-mode. The indication when we linked and it responded positively is that it is most likely in a certain safe-mode."

Explains a lot the last couple of days. "safe-mode" is code for "straitjacket".

[Wolfstar]

Is it just my perception, or had they been proceeding at under a snail's pace prior to this communications glitch?

[Rebelbase]

Miserable failure = http://www.michaelmoore.com/

[Keith]

they were proceeding at a very slow and deliberate pace...to keep this kind of thing from happening. Gotta be a source of MAJOR frustration for JPL...

[tubebender]

Another Ping...

[mikrofon]

"We did send a command to the spacecraft on a specific channel and we got a response back basically saying 'yeah, I am here'

Typical "kid" -- when they get to be 16, 17 (sols) they don't want to be told what to do anymore by their "parents"...

[expatpat]

I think the Martians got pi55ed at the space debris dumped on Mars by the Brit's Beagle and our Rover, and decided to sut off the antennas.

[reed_inthe_wind]

what keeps the Chinese from sending a command to shut down?

That's right. If you make it simple enough it should have only one mode - broadcast. But, if it's complex you (or the Chinese) need to authenticate with some code, plus you need encryption either in software or built into the hardware . And, how secure is NASA anyway - can they keep their codes secret.

[expatpat]

I think the Martians got pi55ed at the space debris dumped on Mars by the Brit's Beagle and our Rover, and decided to cut off the antennas.