2002 MAPLD International Conference
Kossiakoff Conference Center
The Johns Hopkins University- Applied Physics Laboratory
11100 Johns Hopkins Road
Laurel, Maryland 20723-6099
September 10-12, 2002
Recovery from the Mars Surveyor '98 Failures:
Lessons Learned and Applied
The failures of the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander were the subject of numerous failure review boards composed of senior personnel not closely associated with the projects. The causes and corrective actions were well documented, however, these reports did not capture inner workings of the projects and the subtle things that happened that eventually led to the failures. This paper will present the story from the perspective of the people intimately involved with the design, development, and operation of the vehicles. In the case of the MCO, it is a story about how a number of seemingly unrelated events and actions finally led to the large navigation error and how that error could remain undetected by a group of competent and dedicated engineers and managers. In the case of the MPL, it is a story or how a flight software code error was made, why it was made, and why it went undetected through a very rigorous test program. It is hoped that these examples will lead not only to a further sense of awareness, but to emphasize once again that there are some inviolate principles that should never be compromised in the development of one-of-a-kind single flight missions.
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Last Revised: October 02, 2002
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