Good news for #NewHorizons who"ve got work to do tomorrow! - http://clapway.com/2015/07/06/nasas-new-horizons-probe-to-resume-normal-operations-123/

After suffering a brief setback, NASA’s Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft is scheduled to return to normal operations.

A COMPUTER GLITCH

New Horizons suffered a computer malfunction on Saturday, July 4 resulting in a temporary loss of communication between the spacecraft and the mission control team at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.

After detecting the anomaly, the probe autonomously placed itself in safe mode, activating the craft’s backup computer and restoring communication.

RESUMING NORMAL SCIENCE OPERATIONS

Sending commands to, and receiving data from, New Horizons takes awhile due to the vast distance between the craft and Earth. Radio communication takes approximately four-and-a-half hours each way to traverse the roughly three billion miles.

Despite this communication delay, mission control and the New Horizons Anomaly Review Board were able to determine that there are no issues with hardware or software, and that the spacecraft is in good health. Investigators determined the cause of the computer glitch was a timing flaw in a command sequence. Fortunately, there are no plans to send that same command sequence again for the duration of the probe’s journey to Pluto. So hopefully the glitch won’t be replicated.

“I’m pleased that our mission team quickly identified the problem and assured the health of the spacecraft,” NASA’s Director of Planetary Science Jim Green reports. He continues, “Now – with Pluto in our sights – we’re on the verge of returning to normal operations and going for the gold.”

NASA hopes to resume normal science operations on Tuesday, July 7.

STILL ON TRACK FOR PLUTO RENDEZVOUS

The probe has been unable to gather scientific data while in safe mode. NASA says that, although some scientific observation opportunities have been lost, they do not affect the primary objectives of the probe’s mission.

Fortunately, the glitch and the craft’s time spent in safe mode do not appear to have affected New Horizon’s trajectory. NASA says the probe is still on course and is still on track for its Pluto flyby on July 14.

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NASA’s New Horizons Probe to Resume Normal Operations

#NewHorizons temporarily loses communication. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/05/nasa-temporarily-loses-contact-with-new-horizons-probe/

NASA’s New Horizons probe suffered a glitch that resulted in a temporary loss of communication between the probe and mission control.

RADIO SILENCE

The Pluto-bound spacecraft experienced a computer malfunction at 1:54 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 4 that disrupted radio contact between New Horizons and the mission control team at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.

Fortunately, the probe’s autopilot functioned as designed and was able to force itself into safe mode and switch to its backup computer after detecting the glitch. So the radio silence only lasted approximately 80 minutes.

INVESTIGATING THE GLITCH

NASA assembled the New Horizons Anomaly Review Board at 4:00 p.m. ET on July 4 to review data and assess the cause of the unexpected computer glitch. Preliminary data shows the probe is healthy and still on its proper course.

The team hopes the available information will be enough to properly diagnose and remedy the issue in order to return the spacecraft to its regular operating mode.

LOST TIME

New Horizons is unable to collect any scientific data until NASA can return the probe to its full-functioning mode.

The spacecraft is nearly three billion miles away from Earth. Because of this vast distance, it takes four-and-a-half hours for radio communication from Earth to reach the spacecraft, and four-and-a-half hours for messages to return. This nine-hour communication delay means that lots of data collection time has been lost due to the computer glitch. NASA is unsure how long it will take to restore normal operations, but it says full recovery is expected to take “from one to several days.”

ON TO PLUTO

If, in fact, NASA’s New Horizons Anomaly Review Board determines that the New Horizons spacecraft is still on course, and no corrections are needed, it is possible that the probe is still on schedule for its Pluto flyby on July 14. The spacecraft is also scheduled to pass by Pluto’s moons.

This historic mission will provide scientists with the first-ever close-up images and data from Pluto and its moons. Hopefully the New Horizons Anomaly Review Board will be able to restore New Horizons to a fully functioning spacecraft without much delay.

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NASA Temporarily Loses Contact With New Horizons Probe