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Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

extremetech.com

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Re: Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

#31

Post by capableweb »

ceejayoz wrote: post #15
Ididntdothis wrote: post #8

This seems to be no big deal. Stuff like this is how learn to do real world robotics.

Sure, but your heart is probably still going to skip a few beats when you realize a software glitch has halted a $2.5 billion device.

And then to resume to slightly-above normal heart beats when you remember it was designed for way less time/usage than it actually survives. Guess we'll see if this is the final stone or not, apparently they are trying to get it right again (thinking about that, wonder how it feels to deploy a hotfix to another fucking planet)

Re: Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

#32

Post by ISL »

ceejayoz wrote: post #15
Ididntdothis wrote: post #8

This seems to be no big deal. Stuff like this is how learn to do real world robotics.

Sure, but your heart is probably still going to skip a few beats when you realize a software glitch has halted a $2.5 billion device.

Viewed another way, a successful bugfix brings a $2.5B instrument back to life.

Re: Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

#33

Post by mnemonicsloth »

dariusj18 wrote: post #30
mnemonicsloth wrote: post #26

> Thanks to Curiosity, we have a better idea of where water existed (and may still exist) on Mars, as well as where we might be able to find evidence of ancient life. I don't understand why everyone is so excited about finding life on Mars. Life on Mars means life may be relatively common on water-bearing planets, which means the Filter is more likely to ahead of us than behind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQ…

We don't have any evidence of life being common.

True. But we have prima facie evidence that advanced civilizations -- as advanced as we're about to be, in not very much longer -- are very rare.

Re: Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

#35

Post by nickthemagicman »

mnemonicsloth wrote: post #33
dariusj18 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don't have any evidence of life being common.

True. But we have prima facie evidence that advanced civilizations -- as advanced as we're about to be, in not very much longer -- are very rare.

Finding life on other planets means life was probably seeded on earth instead of the 'Spontanous Generation' theory of biology where RNA just happened on earth at some point. It also opens up the possibilities of life existing outside of earth. I don't know whats not mind blowing about that.

Re: Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

#36

Post by tartoran »

mnemonicsloth wrote: post #26

> Thanks to Curiosity, we have a better idea of where water existed (and may still exist) on Mars, as well as where we might be able to find evidence of ancient life. I don't understand why everyone is so excited about finding life on Mars. Life on Mars means life may be relatively common on water-bearing planets, which means the Filter is more likely to ahead of us than behind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQ…

Life anywhere outside our planet would definitely be a big deal. Mars makes a good candidate to at least find traces of past life there

Re: Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

#38

Post by Ididntdothis »

ISL wrote: post #32
ceejayoz wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but your heart is probably still going to skip a few beats when you realize a software glitch has halted a $2.5 billion device.

Viewed another way, a successful bugfix brings a $2.5B instrument back to life.

And it demonstrates that the design allowed bug fixes while the rover is on another planet. I view this as big success for the engineering. They did a great job. It’s more important to have the ability to fix bugs than avoiding bugs.

Re: Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

#39

Post by fnord77 »

mnemonicsloth wrote: post #26

> Thanks to Curiosity, we have a better idea of where water existed (and may still exist) on Mars, as well as where we might be able to find evidence of ancient life. I don't understand why everyone is so excited about finding life on Mars. Life on Mars means life may be relatively common on water-bearing planets, which means the Filter is more likely to ahead of us than behind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQ…

there's no reason the Great Filter couldn't be both ahead and behind us.

- Life on planets with fossil fuels available advances to an industrial phase and dies off either from nuclear war or global warming

- Life on planets without fossil fuels never advances to even the iron age.

Re: Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

#40

Post by fnord77 »

ceejayoz wrote: post #15
Ididntdothis wrote: post #8

This seems to be no big deal. Stuff like this is how learn to do real world robotics.

Sure, but your heart is probably still going to skip a few beats when you realize a software glitch has halted a $2.5 billion device.

...on another planet
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