CNN/AP: Glitch stalls Mars mission

[DeepModem Mom]

Glitch stalls Mars mission
Launch delayed until Friday
Thursday, August 11, 2005; Posted: 9:31 a.m. EDT (13:31 GMT)


CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- NASA postponed launching a spacecraft to Mars on Thursday after a glitch popped up in the computer software used for monitoring the fueling of the rocket used for liftoff.

The problem with sensors and software that measure the amount of fuel being loaded into the rocket appeared with just minutes left until liftoff. The launch was rescheduled for Friday morning.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is expected to spend four years circling Mars, collecting information that will help NASA plan where to land two robotic explorers later this decade and possible future human exploration of the Red Planet.

The Phoenix Mars Scout, in search of organic chemicals, will be launched in 2007, and the Mars Science Laboratory will follow two years later....

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The two-ton orbiter, equipped with the largest telescopic camera ever sent to another planet, will provide unparalleled information on Mars' weather, climate and geology. The $720 million mission is also expected to help build on NASA's knowledge of the history of ice on the planet....


http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/08/11/mars.orbiter.ap/index.html