back to article European Space Agency squirts a code update at Mars Express orbiter

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express orbiter is getting a software refresh as a reward for 14 years spent circling the red planet. Mars Express arrived in orbit at the end of 2003, and set about collecting high-resolution imagery of the surface, spotting water and detecting methane. Not too shabby for a spacecraft …

  1. LeahroyNake

    Quality Control

    I'm guessing that the QC on this software upgrade surpasses anything that MS have ever contemplated!

    It's not as if they have say ~10'000 users / satellites to test it on.

    1. Dwarf

      Re: Quality Control

      Fully agree, Microsoft don't test anything, they rely on the users to be their beta testers.

      As they are doing an upgrade, I wonder if anyone has considered other features ?

      They already have telemetry, but I wonder if they will add a pointless app store and enforce the use of a second rate browser and a gaming console for not apparent reason too.

    2. Alan Brown Silver badge

      Re: Quality Control

      "It's not as if they have say ~10'000 users / satellites to test it on."

      No, but they do have a couple of flight spares and engineering samples.

      1. Ken Hagan Gold badge

        Re: Quality Control

        "No, but they do have a couple of flight spares and engineering samples."

        Microsoft presumably have a couple of spare Surfaces kicking about the place, too, but it doesn't always seem to be sufficient.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Quality Control

      In many ways, it's simpler to update a single machine with known hardware and software, than 10,000 or (2Bn) different ones.

      Sure, in this instance if something goes wrong you can't plug-in an USB key and boot from it...

      1. DropBear

        Re: Quality Control

        To be fair, while the pucker factor of restarting something like this so far away is never going to be zero, it shouldn't exactly be that hard to make something damn near update-proof*. Just make sure you have enough memory to store at least two whole OS images and ensure that unless the updated OS can present suitable proof of successful two-way comms with Earth within a convenient time frame following an update (or on an ongoing basis), it gets mercilessly booted by a hardware watchdog** back into the original OS image which tells you this and asks "okay, now what?"

        *don't even THINK about "completely update-proof". No such thing. The Universe is on Murphy's side.

        **by which I mean multiple redundant independent watchdogs of course. Paranoia IS a virtue.

  2. A Non e-mouse Silver badge

    Deep space comms

    We really need to start investing in generic deep space comms to get data from these remote probes back to Earth in a more organized manner.

    I know sending a Tesla rover to a distant planet is far sexy and easier to sell, but it's these kinds of infrastructure items that people like governments need to push through.

    1. Anonymous Coward
    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Deep space comms

      Should be easy to run fiber - no roads to dig up and you don't need your own ducts

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Deep space comms

        To heck with fiber - lets just build a hyperloop.

      2. annodomini2

        Re: Deep space comms

        "Should be easy to run fiber - no roads to dig up and you don't need your own ducts"

        Unfortunately the fibre would need to pass through the Sun on occasion, so the tunnelling job would probably be the most difficult ever attempted.

        1. DropBear
          Trollface

          Re: Deep space comms

          Screw tunnelling through the Sun. Let's just use gravity wave comms...!

    3. Gene Cash Silver badge

      Re: Deep space comms

      Well actually, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is the current "comsat" for Mars. It relays info from all the rovers.

      NASA's praying it keeps going, because there's no replacement in the pipeline.

      https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/09/nasa-is-counting-on-long-lived-mars-orbiter-lasting-another-decade/

    4. phuzz Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Re: Deep space comms

      "We really need to start investing in generic deep space comms to get data from these remote probes back to Earth in a more organized manner."

      The Deep Space Network would be sad that you've apparently never heard of it, but it can't get sad because it's an international collaboration of radio telescopes and antennas, not a person.

  3. JassMan

    Blue screens

    A blue screen of death is difficult to fix from 150,000,000km away. Surely the have a watchdog timer available and it is not beyond the wit of man to make sure the bootloader reverts to the last known good OS image. The article already states that they have managed to squeeze in the new image alongside the running system.

    1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
      Angel

      Re: Blue screens

      But who/what watches the watchdog?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Blue screens

        "But who/what watches the watchdog?"

        That's easy. The watchdog timer supervisory circuit.

        And what watches that?

        That one's easy. The only explanation for why these spacecraft keep massively exceeding their mission times is because a black monolith is keeping them going to see what the humans do next.

      2. lglethal Silver badge
        Joke

        Re: Blue screens

        Coast guard?

      3. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        Re: Blue screens

        But who/what watches the watchdog?

        The GuardCat.

        Available in white, black, ginger, tortoiseshell, tabby and calico. Added paranoia upgrades are available.

        1. Anonymous Coward
        2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

          Re: Blue screens

          "The GuardCat."

          And who watches the GuardCat? Why the entire internet of course! (Especially if the apprentice, ie the WatchKitten, is given the job.)

    2. DropBear
      Pint

      Re: Blue screens

      Dang it, ninja'd by half a day... *redfaced* ...say, can I buy you a pint...?

  4. x 7

    surely "system restore" is one of the boot options?

    1. Richard 12 Silver badge

      Yes, you just have to choose it from the boot menu.

      Oh.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        After the "No keyboard, press F1 to continue"

  5. Dave Pickles

    Rosetta are you better...

    ...are you well, well, well?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB3fncWyVN4

    1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: Rosetta are you better...

      Have one of these ->

      as well as an upvote.

      Oh, and commiserations for also being old enough to remember it :)

      1. CentralCoasty
        Facepalm

        Re: Rosetta are you better...

        remember it... I had it! If memory serves me well, was a flimsy floppy plastic that needed a 2p to hold it down so it would spin.... knowing my old folks, they still have it tucked away somewhere in a storage box....

        ... ah.. .actually it was the Pinky & Perky version I had......

  6. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Trollface

    Good job it's not running Android, they'd have to launch a new one.

  7. arctic_haze

    What OS they use?

    I guess it is some kind of Linux. But even Linux reboots after a kernel upgrade may go wrong as I learned after updating a box on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

    1. Richard 12 Silver badge

      Vxworks, probably

      Nearly all these things are Vxworks or bare metal.

      Real-time operating systems are quite niche, there aren't many of them.

      1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        Re: Vxworks, probably

        Nearly all these things are Vxworks or bare metal.

        Quite possibly. I still have some Mars Rover models from my days at Windriver..

        (Those caused some red faces in Marketing - they had them made to celebrate VxWorks usage by NASA in the Mars missions and were about to sell them when NASA pointed out that the agreement to use the NASA logos and designs had never been granted and that, were the models to be sold, no more business would be forthcoming. So all the models were given out to staff on the strict understanding that they were never, ever to sell them..I still have one and so does my then-space-mad nephew)

        1. BristolBachelor Gold badge

          Re: Vxworks, probably

          I received a couple of those as a Windriver customer. It's a shame but they eventually went in the bin. I didn't realise that they were so collectable.

  8. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

    IIRC that's what hurt most of the copies of them on Hubble.

    But these days aren't most of them laser based (certainly for large passenger jets since the mid 80's IIRC) ?

    The best seem to be the solid crystal lump types, however they seem to need a "dither" spring that (I presume) can age).

    So how do they "age"?

    Mind you. Full OS upgrade from 140 million miles away and works right first time. Impressive.

    1. Ken Hagan Gold badge

      Re: Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

      Depends what you mean by "still". This guy seems to be about 20 years old and heaven knows when they started planning the hardware. I don't know when the first micro-mechanical gyros came in or how good they were (or indeed are, even now, for a mission likely to last several decades). It is entirely possible that they weren't an option.

      1. John Smith 19 Gold badge

        "This guy seems to be about 20 years old "

        As I noted there have been no new "spinning metal" gyroscopes installed in transatlantic passenger planes since the mid 80's, say 35 years?

        Ariane 4 was flying with laser gyroscopes since it was the failure to cope with the upgraded performance of the A5 rocket that caused the maiden launch of A5 to fail.

        Hence my expectation that space navigation grade laser gyroscopes are a thing by now and my surprise they are still a problem.

        1. imanidiot Silver badge

          Re: "This guy seems to be about 20 years old "

          Mars express was launched just a tad shy of 15 years ago. Take 5 years to build and start of design 10 years before that, the tech used was at best state of the art 30 years ago. Most likely it was well proven tech 30 years ago (and thus at least 40 years old by now). I'd think it was possible for Mars Express to still have mechanical gyro's for its orientation/navigation platform, however, that's not the issue here. The issue is the attitude control system. The article incorrectly uses Gyroscopes for what should actually be called Reaction Wheels. There is also an attitude control system called a Control Moment Gyroscope, but that's not what is on Mars Express from the info I can find. Mars Express uses "simple" Reaction Wheels.

        2. JeffyPoooh
          Pint

          Re: "This guy seems to be about 20 years old "

          @ John Smith 19 "...my surprise they are still a problem."

          Read the above posts again.

          These are big massive momentum gyros for rotational force, not wee feisty gyros for sensing. The craft pushes against them to rotate, because there are no convenient rocky surfaces in Space.

          1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
            Unhappy

            @ John Smith 19 " Read the above posts again.

            Why don't you try reading my replies instead?

            I got the point about the difference between actual gyroscopes and reaction wheels/Control Moment Gyros (which were used on Skylab and are being used on the ISS).

            The challenge for your idea is how to build a passive magnetic bearing, so all the power is in spinning up (or down) the rotor? With a conventional bearing the relationship between the rotor and case is guaranteed. With any imbalenced force the rotor starts to drift off axis.

            IIRC "Halbach" arrays of magnets are the most efficient for generating force but you still have to null out any imperfections. That's a continuous current drain.

            It looks like reaction wheel/CMG bearing failure will (along with battery failure) be the most probably life ending component for space probes for the foreseeable future.

            1. JeffyPoooh
              Pint

              @ John Smith 19

              Just because *you* can't imagine how it would be accomplished, doesn't make it impossible.

              By the way, I never wrote "passive". You added that yourself.

              One advantage of being well versed in a very wide range of technologies is that I can quickly assemble a mental list of existing examples for each requirement.

              Your "logic" has proven that those little magnetically suspended globes cannot be given a quick spin. Thus proving that you can fool yourself with your logic unbounded by being familiar with examples of existing technology.

              The magnetically suspended globes have an active feedback system.

              In other words, "Mag Lev" bearing-free gyros for spacecraft reaction wheels clearly is an entirely possible technology.

              Is it worthwhile? I don't know.

              But there is no objection to the feasibility that withstands familiarity with already existing technologies.

              And don't add "passive" yourself, and attribute it to me.

    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

      Gyroscope = measure attitude, yes you can use laser ring gyros

      Gyroscope = reaction wheels or control moment gyroscopes, no there is no substitute for real mass

      These "gyroscopes" aren't used to measure position, they're used to change your direction without using rockets. Imagine holding a spinning bike wheel and try and tilt it. In a spacecraft you use it as a "fixed" frame to push against.

      1. JeffyPoooh
        Pint

        Re: Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

        YAAC - great post.

        The space agencies need to look into something like MagLev gyroscopes, where the spinning mass is untouched except by magnetic fields. No bearings to wear out. The forces would be applied by magnetic effects only, including suspension. Last "forever".

        Suspension might be around the edge, as opposed to an axle, if the higher edge speed works better for MagLev.

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

          Difficult to hold a gyroscope in enough directions with magnetic bearings (basically hard to stop it walking along the axis) and you need to connect a motor drive anyway so you can't make it totally free floating.

          In Earth orbit you can replace the gyro with an actual bar magnet and 'push' against the Earth's field - Mars doesn't have a magnetic field

          1. JeffyPoooh
            Pint

            Re: Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

            YAAC "Difficult to hold a gyroscope in enough directions with magnetic bearings (basically hard to stop it walking along the axis) and you need to connect a motor drive anyway so you can't make it totally free floating."

            If Magnetic Levitation can support the Shanghai Maglev Train at 430 kmh, then it should be possible to support a 7kg spinning disk. Yes it would be complicated. But replacing the mechanical bearings with magnetic levitation would mean that it could last forever, in principle.

            "connect a motor drive anyway" <- that's inexcusable.

            Do you realize how electric motors work? They use magnetic fields to drive it around. The only thing that has to touch the rotor are the bearings. Which is where Mag Lev comes in.

            The complicated aspect would be the straightening control system; that would be a fairly complicated control system of sideways pushing magnets synchronized. Very complicated.

            Perhaps a spinning sphere would be better.

            1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

              Re: Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

              Supporting a maglev train is easy. Gravity pushes down, magnets push up, put magnets on sides facing slightly inwards to act as flanges.

              Supporting an axle inside a magnetic bearing requires a uniform inward field from all angles - you can't do this with fixed permanent magnets (Earnshaw's theorem) you can do it with a bunch of electromagnets and a complex control system. But you lose energy from eddy currents, which can also cause speed jitter which is a problem in a precision platform - like a space telescope.

              Remember you don't just need to support a free spinning wheel, you need to be able to put a torque on it. If your magnetic suspension can only resist a very small torque then you need to build (and launch) a much bigger flywheel.

              1. JeffyPoooh
                Pint

                Re: Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

                YAAC, "...you can't do this with fixed permanent magnets..."

                Who said it had to be "fixed permanent magnets"?

                Obviously there has to be an active control system.

                Duh.

                Geezuz H. Kids these days.

      2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Unhappy

        "Gyroscope = reaction wheels or control moment gyroscopes, "

        With you now.

        That's a whole different thing.

        I prefer the idea of CMG's. Once spun up they need relatively little power to keep spinning and low power to alter the axis of rotation.

        One thing I've not seen explored is the idea of a dense fluid in a circular pipe, perhaps with some inert gas, so you form lumps of it. I'm thinking of a low melting point alloy to make it conductive with say Tungsten beads to make up the weight.

    3. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      Re: Do space apps *still* use spinning metal gyros?

      The best seem to be the solid crystal lump types

      Yeah, but do they use the right crystal types to generate the right mystic energies? Otherwise, you might have a Libran satellite being given a crystal more suitable for Pisces and that would never do!

      (Yes, I think it's bunkum too but I've worked with very intelligent and capable people that seriously think that way..)

  9. Steve Knox
    Joke

    Side effects...?

    "We were also helped by being able to take code flown on Rosetta and transplant it into the Mars Express guidance software."

    Here's hoping there aren't any passing comets...

  10. Stoneshop

    Update

    ""We were also helped by being able to take code flown on Rosetta and transplant it into the Mars Express guidance software.""

    Remember to not be surprised when it starts trying to locate and sneak up to 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Entomologists know this

    Antennas please, insects have antennae...

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