Probe Dawn experienced the same problems as the New Horizons

At NASA gives a very difficult week. So, last Saturday Station New Horizons, is directed to Pluto, stopped responding to commands from the control center. A little later, the problem was solved, and now the machine continues to work as usual (and we are all waiting for the new data). But the problems were not only in New Horizons.

With the probe Dawn, who continues to study the planetoid Ceres, happened almost same . The system stops responding on June 30 and the computer probe went into safe mode. Fortunately, the problem was similar - professionals from the control center managed to re-enter the unit into operation.

New Horizons worked "idle" for several hours, after which all of the newly started working normally. However, almost all of last week can be considered lost in terms of studying Pluto and Ceres. But it is good that week, not a month or a year. Already on July 14 New Horizons Pluto comes closer to the minimum distance, but then scientists will receive the highest quality photos.

With regard to the probe Dawn, the crash occurred just when the probe is turned on its ion engines, intending to change the orientation in space. After that, the system was turned off and the unit remains at the same orbit. Now scientists have to calculate changes in the orbit of a new version, but before that you need to understand why there was a crash, and how you can avoid re-occurrence of the problem.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/253132/