Lucy’s solar panel problem could be due to strap
According to the engineering team for the Lucy asteroid mission, they now think the incomplete deployment of one of the probe’s solar panels was caused by a strap.
The joint Anomaly Response Team has been studying the array using an engineering model. Initial tests indicate that the lanyard that pulls out the solar array may not have completed the process successfully; however, it is still uncertain what caused this condition. The team is conducting more tests to determine if this is indeed the case, and what the root cause might be.
An attempt to characterize the array deployment by attempting to move it would occur no earlier than Nov. 16.
Meanwhile, they have been turning on Lucy’s instruments one by one, with everything functioning as planned, except for that one solar panel. The panel however is a serious concern, as the spacecraft is heading out to the orbit of Jupiter, where it will need every inch of solar panel surface area to get enough power to operate. At the moment it appears the panel is deployed somewhere between 75% to 95%.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
According to the engineering team for the Lucy asteroid mission, they now think the incomplete deployment of one of the probe’s solar panels was caused by a strap.
The joint Anomaly Response Team has been studying the array using an engineering model. Initial tests indicate that the lanyard that pulls out the solar array may not have completed the process successfully; however, it is still uncertain what caused this condition. The team is conducting more tests to determine if this is indeed the case, and what the root cause might be.
An attempt to characterize the array deployment by attempting to move it would occur no earlier than Nov. 16.
Meanwhile, they have been turning on Lucy’s instruments one by one, with everything functioning as planned, except for that one solar panel. The panel however is a serious concern, as the spacecraft is heading out to the orbit of Jupiter, where it will need every inch of solar panel surface area to get enough power to operate. At the moment it appears the panel is deployed somewhere between 75% to 95%.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
And this simple solar panel is like a toy compared to the origami on steroids known as JWST that is about to be launched. Cognizant engineers and managers: make sure your Maalox supply is well stocked.
Seems like we need to start including small robots with these probes that have Swiss Army-like end effectors that could help with diagnosing and then potentially correct such issues. The Galileo probe to Jupiter had a similar problem with the antenna where one of the spars failed to be released from its launch position which caused complete failure of the antenna. Fortunately, much of that mission could be salvaged by innovative uses of the small low-gain antenna and compression algorithms.
I suspect they will manage ways around this, much the same way they managed to work around the badly-deployed Galileo high-gain antenna.
That said, plutonium is the way to go for deep space missions. See also: Mars rovers.
I’ll say it again, why didn’t this thing have rectangular panels? Juno has them and it works fine, not counting that stuck valve. These circular panels are unnecessarily complicated. And once more my K. I. S. S. sensibilities are enraged. Time for more tea.
mpthompson suggested: “Seems like we need to start including small robots with these probes that have Swiss Army-like end effectors that could help with diagnosing and then potentially correct such issues.”
Sounds like we are giving up on reliability and depending upon a robot for repairing the results of our laziness. Unless there isn’t reliability for the robot and the mission is harmed or lost anyway.