Fergie's Tech Blog

Engineers Close in on Source of ISS Computer Crash

Tariq Malik writes on Space.com:

NASA engineers and their Russian counterparts are closing in on the source of a major computer glitch that afflicted the International Space Station (ISS) during last month's shuttle mission to the orbital laboratory.

ISS engineers are eyeing odd readings in cables, as well as corrosion in an electronics box, as a potential culprit for last month's failure of control and navigation computers in the station's Russian segment during NASA's STS-117 construction mission.

"We know something is definitely anomalous in these areas," said Kirk Shireman, NASA's deputy ISS program manager, in a recent mission briefing. "Is that the only problem? We're still looking at that."

The targeted cables and electronics box, known as a BOK 3 unit, both feed into the station's six-computer network governing Russian control and navigation systems, Shireman said.

posted by Fergie @ 7/16/2007 05:59:00 PM