spacetoday.net: MRO goes into safe mode

Posted: Wed, Mar 12, 2014, 6:56 AM ET (1056 GMT)
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter illustration (NASA/JPL)

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft went into safe mode earlier this week because of a computer glitch, but should resume normal operations in a few days. JPL reported Tuesday that MRO went into safe mode on Sunday because of an "unscheduled swap" from one of its main computers to the other. MRO has had several safe modes triggered by computer swaps, most recently in late 2011; the cause of these glitches remains unknown. Unlike previous events, MRO also switched to a backup radio transponder, which is also being investigated by engineers. The safe mode took place almost exactly eight years after the spacecraft entered orbit around Mars, providing high-resolution imagery and other data about the planet.