Schiaparelli crash due to computer glitch opens up new possibilities

The painful events of Schiaparelli crash happened last October 16, 2016, was for the scientist to recall. The lander which supposed to test land technology and aim to build a much bigger scientific station on the red planet crashed due to a computer glitch. Jorge Vago, project scientist for ExoMars stated that Schiaparelli's faults and the goal of rectifying them are a priority.

Schiaparelli primary objectives were to dig up 2-meters down Mars soil to look for signs of ancient life. But, due to an error with the lander system, unfortunately, the lander crashed. According to Nature's blog post, 3 seconds after the lander was commanded to switch off; the computer system thought that it was on the ground already. Scientist's estimated that the craft probably fell at 300 kilometers per hour before slamming into the ground according to the images taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Andrea Accomazzo, ESA's head of solar and planetary mission, predicted that the flaw on the craft's software or a problem in merging the data coming from different sensors might have led the lander to believe it was lower in altitude than it was. But, the ExoMars team find great possibilities of improving saying the test somehow ended with flying colors. "If we have a severe technological issue, then it's different, then we have to re-evaluate carefully. But I don't expect it to be the case," says Accomazzo.

A scientist ought to replicate the mistake using a virtual landing system designed to imitate the craft's software and hardware; this is a preparation for the 2020 vision. With the addition of Russian technology to the new landing system, the ExoMars team will make sure that they understand the issue before redesigning any aspects of the Exo-Mars 2020.