Hackaday · Creativity & design

Space Mission Engineering and Debugging

Aerospace engineer Janelle Wellons discussed creative solutions for debugging and repairing space missions at Hackaday Europe, highlighting challenges unique to space exploration.

Unlike terrestrial repairs, space missions offer limited options for fixing malfunctions. Unmanned probes or satellites, if they fail, often mean the end of the mission, especially given the high costs and years of work involved.

Wellons shared examples of engineers overcoming critical failures. The Galileo mission faced a non-deploying high-gain antenna, essential for transmitting science data. Engineers developed compression algorithms and utilized multiple Deep Space Network antennas to achieve a data rate of 1,000 bits/second, saving the mission.

For the Artemis II mission, the new spacecraft toilet experienced issues. A solution involved orienting the spacecraft towards the sun to melt frozen vent pipes, allowing the system to function. Astronauts also used contingency urinals when the main toilet was down.

Wellons also touched upon the testing of robotic missions. The Perseverance rover's twin on Earth is used in the Mars yard to rehearse maneuvers and operations, preparing for potential issues like a broken wheel or tipping over on the planet's surface.

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