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   AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)'s status on Saturday, 21-Oct-2023 15:18:32 JST AkaSci 🛰️

   NASA is sending a software update to the Voyager 2 spacecraft today!

   The patch contains logic to auto-recover from glitches similar to one in May 2022, when the AACS system on Voyager 1 started sending garbled data. The root cause was not fully diagnosed. The patch will be activated on Oct 28. Voyager 1 will be next.

   Data will be sent at 16 bps with a 96 kW transmitter using the 70-m dish at DSN Canberra.
   Distance: 20 billion km; 18:40 light hours

   https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-voyager-team-focuses-on-software-patch-thrusters
   #Voyager
   1/n

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   • Embed this notice
     socks (socks@wetdry.world)'s status on Sunday, 22-Oct-2023 04:37:37 JST socks

     in reply to

     @AkaSci we can patch a 46 year old satellite from outside the solar system but my phone from 2016 is 'too old' to receive updates

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     Sexy Moon (moon@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 22-Oct-2023 06:03:49 JST Sexy Moon

     in reply to

     • socks
     @socks @AkaSci that satellite is one of a kind and wasn't mass-produced and has a bitrate of 160 bits per second.
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     Ben Hearsum (bhearsum@fosstodon.org)'s status on Monday, 23-Oct-2023 14:21:14 JST Ben Hearsum

     in reply to

     • CanberraDSN

     @AkaSci @canberradsn As someone who is involved with update systems, 😬😬😬😬😬

     clacke likes this.
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     Jonah The Prophet (jonahtheprophet@toot.community)'s status on Monday, 23-Oct-2023 14:21:17 JST Jonah The Prophet

     in reply to

     • CanberraDSN

     @AkaSci @canberradsn They're carefully working out transmission time delay to avoid releasing on Friday.

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     aburka 🫣 (aburka@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 23-Oct-2023 14:32:24 JST aburka 🫣

     in reply to

     @AkaSci Ah yes, that's my kind of bug fix. "The root cause was not diagnosed. Sending patch anyway."

     clacke likes this.
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     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Monday, 23-Oct-2023 14:54:35 JST clacke

     in reply to

     • Kent Borg
     • CanberraDSN

     @kentborg @AkaSci @canberradsn They are two different classes of things. A glitch may be caused by a bug.

     I don't have an opinion on whether this was correctly labeled a glitch, I haven't looked into it. I agree that a glitch is transient and disagree that it can't have serious impact.

   • Embed this notice
     Kent Borg (kentborg@social.tchncs.de)'s status on Monday, 23-Oct-2023 14:54:36 JST Kent Borg

     in reply to

     • CanberraDSN

     @AkaSci @canberradsn A "glitch" is not the same as a "bug". A glitch is something transient, easy to miss…maybe it never happened. The term predates computers.

     When a spacecraft loses all communications it is not a mere glitch. It is a serious bug.

     Not as much fun to say, but it's still the right word.