Left to its own devices, NASA’s Deep Space 1 probe would have struck out on
its own last week. The probe had a glitch in its “remote agent”, the computer
program designed to wean the spacecraft off mission control (“You’re on your
own”, New Scientist, 24 October 1998, p 38). Last Tuesday, a bug in
this software prevented the probe from shutting down its engines as planned.
“The root cause of this is a mistake in the logic that went into the program,”
says Marc Rayman, the project’s chief mission engineer. Ground controllers
overrode the unruly program, and the spacecraft remained on course. The
engineers will continue to test the software, which is intended to give the
probe a high degree of autonomy.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The biggest threat to Chernobyl is no longer radiation
2
We might finally know how to use quantum computers to boost AI
3
A whole new way to prevent death from sepsis shows promise
4
Parrot uses his broken beak to become a dominant male
5
Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster
6
Beef is making a comeback – does it fit into a healthy diet?
7
Can we ‘vaccinate’ ourselves against stress?
8
Is a super El Niño imminent, and what could the impacts be?
9
How to spot the Lyrid meteor shower tonight
10
We're solving the fundamental mystery of how reality is glued together
