Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
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Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
1–10 of 72 posts
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#2This is just depressing. How was this not tested? This is complete sign reversal of a control output; you'd think it would show up immediately.
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#3It seems like the core error was in the inertial measurement unit: it would be a common cause between the reaction wheel failures and the failure of the despin burn.
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#4This is just depressing. How was this not tested? This is complete sign reversal of a control output; you'd think it would show up immediately.
Perhaps it's one of those "only happens in real use" corner case. I had a stupid little robot shred itself to parts during live use (controlled environment no humans) due to a bug. Learn and move on I guess.
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#5This is just depressing. How was this not tested? This is complete sign reversal of a control output; you'd think it would show up immediately.
(I have absolutely no insight into the software development practices of JAXA and their subcontractors, so I apologize if this is insensitive or uniformed.)
Is this another sign of how bad japanese hardware-oriented companies and organizations are at doing software? Like the organisational software crisis at Toyota?
Or was it a fluke?
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#6This is just depressing. How was this not tested? This is complete sign reversal of a control output; you'd think it would show up immediately.
(I have absolutely no insight into the software development practices of JAXA and their subcontractors, so I apologize if this is insensitive or uniformed.) Is this another sign of how bad japanese hardware -oriented companies and organizations are at doing software? Like the organisational software crisis at Toyota? Or was it a fluke?
I hate to feel that way; but yeah most software I see come out of Japan scares me. Outside of legally-critical software, such as automotive control systems: it doesn't seem that there is much focus on quality.
I suspect it has to do with the scale of integrators in the country being much smaller, and lacking in terms of B2B collaboration.
There are some jewels here and there, though. It's probably just a matter of culture. Maybe they're also somewhat isolated from the English and Chinese language leads in software development. I don't think Japanese English language education is very effective. Their popular courses likely don't leave an individual comfortable with technical reading in English.
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#7This is just depressing. How was this not tested? This is complete sign reversal of a control output; you'd think it would show up immediately.
you're right... it was never tested. ever. they just sent up of bunch of bolted together junk and prayed to japanese jesus that it did something.
you should be asking which physical component failed and how it failed. software is no good if the CPU is half melted with a hole through it.
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#8This is just depressing. How was this not tested? This is complete sign reversal of a control output; you'd think it would show up immediately.
(I have absolutely no insight into the software development practices of JAXA and their subcontractors, so I apologize if this is insensitive or uniformed.) Is this another sign of how bad japanese hardware -oriented companies and organizations are at doing software? Like the organisational software crisis at Toyota? Or was it a fluke?
Brother wrote the software.
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
(I have absolutely no insight into the software development practices of JAXA and their subcontractors, so I apologize if this is insensitive or uniformed.) Is this another sign of how bad japanese hardware -oriented companies and organizations are at doing software? Like the organisational software crisis at Toyota? Or was it a fluke?
I hate to feel that way; but yeah most software I see come out of Japan scares me. Outside of legally-critical software, such as automotive control systems: it doesn't seem that there is much focus on quality. I suspect it has to do with the scale of integrators in the country being much smaller, and lacking in terms of B2B collaboration. There are some jewels here and there, though. It's probably just a matter of cu…
Software isn't valued as much in Japan, and the pay isn't that high.
Re: Software error doomed Japanese Hitomi spacecraft
#10It seems like the core error was in the inertial measurement unit: it would be a common cause between the reaction wheel failures and the failure of the despin burn.
Seems like the kind of thing one would have multiple of, along with voting, it should also contain a kalman filter. The software correcting the rotation should have been run in a tighter feedback loop so that it would stop making the problem worse.
Lots of these subsystems can be tested in a pure software simulator. Esp when it comes to faults.