New Horizons in Safe Mode

overdrive148

overdrive148

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overdrive148
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Clark1961 said:
Safe mode is a windows thing...
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Term I'm familiar with is "Safehold Mode." In most cases, it's a last-ditch effort to assume a configuration that will keep it alive with the hope of recovery. It resets the computer and, for near-Earth systems, assumes an attitude that allows it generate some power, switches to an omnidirectional antenna, and starts a low-rate downlink to help it get re-acquired. Since New Horizons has an RTG, I assume it tries to point its high-gain antenna at some computed Earth location, but otherwise is probably about the same sequence otherwise.

Typically, events like this are space-environment triggered; radiation or some sort of particle messing up the computer. Systems I've worked on have had independent watchdog timers to trigger a restart if the main CPU locks up.

The computer reset probably flushed all the commanded profiles, so it's starting from scratch again. Recovery from Safehold modes is usually guided by ground command, so with the comm delay, it probably will take days to recover. The fact that they've already re-acquired the vehicle indicates this was a transient event, probably without permanent effects.

Ron Wanttaja
 
overdrive148 said:
10 days to go until the closest pass at Pluto and NASA lost comms, regained them, and for some reason the probe is in safe mode. Estimation of several days to get it back into normal mode again, and ~4.5 hours of travel time for commands :eek:

http://space.io9.com/the-pluto-probe-went-into-safe-mode-and-we-dont-know-w-1715824423

Launched in 2006... really hope they get it back up and operational..
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You are a good kid.
I like you.
But could you Pleeeaaaase change your Avitar to something less distracting?
 
I'll bet if your avatar were big boobs shaking like that you'd get no complaints...:lol:
 
I vote to bring back the WTH whatever that distracting thing is....
 
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overdrive148 said:
Sure didn't seem to be upset about it until recently... :rolleyes2:
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After slowing it down, you decided to speed it back up again. Why would I continue to tell you you're an inconsiderate *******? One day someone will beat the living **** out of you and maybe you'll learn then. Continually trying to educate you is not my job.
 
Henning said:
After slowing it down, you decided to speed it back up again. Why would I continue to tell you you're an inconsiderate *******? One day someone will beat the living **** out of you and maybe you'll learn then. Continually trying to educate you is not my job.
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That's way out of line, Henning. C'mon man.


Hyperactive Mario Brothers character avatar aside, Overdrive has shown to be a pretty darn nice young fella, and a good contributor to this board.
 
Henning said:
After slowing it down, you decided to speed it back up again. Why would I continue to tell you you're an inconsiderate *******? One day someone will beat the living **** out of you and maybe you'll learn then. Continually trying to educate you is not my job.
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Whoa, really? Wishing me harm in real life over a stupid forum avatar? Get over yourself man, that's a new low.

OkieFlyer said:
That's way out of line, Henning. C'mon man.


Hyperactive Mario Brothers character avatar aside, Overdrive has shown to be a pretty darn nice young fella, and a good contributor to this board.
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Agreed. And thank you
 
If uh, anyone cares.

New Horizons will resume normal science tomorrow.

Boldly going where nothing has gone before.
Every day will be more than we knew before.
This is a return to the Voyager fly-by era of excitement and so
far Pluto is looking to be far from a boring looking place.
 
OkieFlyer said:
That's way out of line, Henning. C'mon man.


Hyperactive Mario Brothers character avatar aside, Overdrive has shown to be a pretty darn nice young fella, and a good contributor to this board.
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I'll second that. At least the young man contributes to the board, rather than generating endless noise.
 
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