The systems engineering function, responsible for checking all aspects of the project, failed to spot the error and the Orbiter’s fate was sealed.
#Mars climate orbiter mistake software
JPL navigation software engineers assumed the figures had been converted and made their own calculations in metric newton-seconds. Although it was standard practice to convert calculations to metric for space missions Lockheed Martin did not make the conversion. When designing the Orbiter Lockheed-Martin used the imperial system in its calculations, expressing force in pound-seconds. The Orbiter should have been a shining example of its ability to produce smaller, lighter spacecraft for a lower budget, but instead a simple miscalculation caused it to fly within 37 miles of Mars’ surface and disappear, presumably broken apart or burned up, and completely ruining NASA’s day. Smaller, lighter, faster spacecraftĪt the time NASA was strongly focused on reducing the time and cost of space exploration projects. It was also intended to act as the communications relay for the Mars Surveyor ‘98 Lander, launched three weeks later. Launched on 11 December 1998 it was designed to study the Martian climate, surface and distribution of water. The Mars Climate Orbiter was a small robotic space probe designed and built by Lockheed-Martin Astronautics with a navigation system created by Jet Propulsion Laboratories. The failure was caused by a simple conversion error between metric and imperial measurement systems and demonstrates how vital it is, particularly in mission-critical industries such as space exploration, to get the small things right.
Instead they watched as the Orbiter flew too close to the surface and vanished from communications forever. On 23 September 1999 the missions team at NASA should have been celebrating as the Mars Climate Orbiter successfully entered stable orbit.
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