My 500M Mars rover mistake
a day ago
- #Failure Stories
- #Space Exploration
- #NASA
- A NASA engineer recounts a critical mistake during testing of the Spirit Mars Rover that nearly resulted in a $500M failure.
- During a late-night test, an incorrect connection sent a surge of electricity into the spacecraft instead of the intended motor, causing a temporary loss of telemetry.
- Initial fears of catastrophic damage were alleviated when it was discovered that a disconnected multimeter was the actual cause of the telemetry loss, not the electrical surge.
- The incident led to valuable lessons about the importance of thorough testing, the inevitability of failure in complex projects, and the need for resilience and learning from mistakes.
- The engineer, despite the error, was trusted to continue leading tests, highlighting the importance of learning from failures and the value of management's confidence in their team.
- The story emphasizes the role of failure in growth and innovation, especially in high-stakes fields like space exploration.
- The engineer encourages others to share their own failure stories to foster learning and resilience within the community.