NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Image right: Artist's concept of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL

Engineers are gathering and analyzing engineering data to understand the cause of a software error between NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and one of its instruments. That event, on July 17, caused the spacecraft to turn off two of its science instruments--the Mars Climate Sounder and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars. The team expects to begin bringing the spacecraft and instruments back to normal operations on Friday, July 20, with normal science operations expected to resume early next week. The spacecraft itself remains healthy and its other science instruments are functioning normally.

Media contacts: Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.