Software Disaster

(Mariner 1)
Noor Hasanah Mohd Nazri
12036859
MEng Electronic Engineering

Mariner 1 Rocket
Mariner

1 was the first spacecraft of the

American Mariner program.

Cost:
It

$18.5 million (1962)

intended to collect a variety of scientific data

about Venus during a flyby of our closest

neighbour in the solar system

Disaster:

The Mariner 1 rocket with a space probe

headed for Venus diverted from its intended flight

path shortly after launch. Mission Control destroyed
the rocket 293 seconds after liftoff. no way to
fixing it

Cause: A programmer

incorrectly transcribed

a handwritten formula into computer code,

missing a single superscript bar. Without the
smoothing function indicated by the bar, the
software treated normal variations of velocity
as if they were serious, causing faulty
corrections that sent the rocket off course.

Reflection & Improvement

We are

encourage people to make research about new things however we must look into the

relevant of the research into the society. In this case, the research and project cost billion of
dollars which consume large amount of money and it destroyed with in 293 sec just because of
silly mistake of the human. Lets think out of box where with that money we can give more
benefit to other people as we know about 70% of children over the world are not enough food.
Since

the project has spent a lot of money, they should hire intelligent or blow mind people to

develop this kind of project. If not more money will be wasted for nothing.
What

if there is a man in the spacecraft? We will lost a good man instead of to get something

that we dont know yet what it was by sending them to the new place.
Therefore,

make proper preparation in terms of which software that is suit for this research, the

proper time line where after the incident news said only 45 days to develop the research and
test the software to ensure the software is really works.
Programmers

shouldnt double-check code. They should triple-check it.

THANK

YOU!!