From: Robert Comer 

D'oh!

--
Bob Comer


On Sat, 14 Apr 2007 14:44:34 -0400, "Rich Gauszka"
 wrote:

>
>"Robert Comer" 
wrote in message
>news:cn0223l29ft2m90kr6cnfghuvumie9jnqu{at}4ax.com...
>> Totally crazy, if it's by design it should come up with a message
>> saying "Corrupt document" and refuse to load it, rather than crash
>> without explanation.
>>
>> I agree it's not a DoS or vulnerability, but it is bad code with no
>> excuse.
>>
>> --
>> Bob Comer
>>
>>
>> On Sat, 14 Apr 2007 09:48:09 -0400, mike  wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>http://www.computerpartner.nl/article.php?news=int&id=5003
>>>
>
>bad code really sucks at times
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/14/science/space/14mars.html
>Although it circled Mars longer than any other spacecraft, the Mars Global
>Surveyor did not die a death of old age last November, a review board
>assembled by NASA announced yesterday.
>
>Instead, an errant computer command five months earlier had been placed in
>the wrong location of the computer memory for the spacecraft. That, in
>effect, implanted a fatal defect in the spacecraft, disabling a safety
>feature to prevent the solar panels from rotating too far and mangling its
>ability to communicate with Earth in case of a mishap.
>
>Last Nov. 2, a run-of-the-mill command to the Global Surveyor set off the
>latent time bomb. Because the safety feature had been disabled, the solar
>panels rotated as far as they could, causing the spacecraft to "think"
>erroneously that the panels had jammed.
>
>In its last 13-minute contact, the Global Surveyor reported numerous alarms
>to mission controllers but gave no indication that it was in immediate
>danger.
>
>As the spacecraft tried to recover, it ended up in an orientation such that
>the Sun was shining directly on a battery, causing it to overheat. The
>Global Surveyor misinterpreted that signal, sensing that it had overcharged
>the battery and stopped charging its other battery, as well.
>
>Meanwhile, because the June error caused the craft's antenna to point in the
>wrong direction, mission controllers on Earth could not get in touch with
>the craft again.
>

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