Screaming Penguin

For the first time in its 8-year mission, NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor has placed itself into "safe mode". Mission controllers are perplexed – both of the probe’s computers have malfunctioned within a month.

Engineers are hopeful they can return the computers to full operation this week, as scientists would like to take one last look at the crash site of NASA’s Mars Polar Lander, which fell silent upon its approach to the Red Planet in December 1999. But they face a race against time as the window for observations will last only until 10 September, after which the site will be plunged into darkness for two more years.

Problems began aboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) on 30 July 2005 when its primary computer malfunctioned, transferring activities to a back-up system. Engineers rebooted the primary computer but left it in a protected mode. But then, on 26 August, the back-up computer also malfunctioned and tried to return control to the primary one, which put the entire spacecraft into safe mode, to protect it from further damage.

New Sci Space