How Software Errors Contribute to Spacecraft Failures (2003) [pdf]

klabs.org

15 points·natep··3 comments

Another paper based on OP, from the same author, published in 2007 and including discussion of non-software failures: http://klabs.org/DEI/lessons_learned/aerospace_corp/lessons_...

Other lessons learned from the space industry: http://klabs.org/DEI/lessons_learned/

This slide deck doesn't go into enough detail and I think the Arianne 501 section is not entirely correct; if you're interested in this topic, I enjoyed reading Space Systems Failures [1].

My spouse used to work as a EE in the aerospace industry and I collected some awesome stories from her. The degree of cultural pathology there is difficult for outsiders to comprehend.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Space-Systems-Failures-Disasters-Satel...

That is definitely a good book on the subject but I thought HN would appreciate a short overview more than a 400-page book to read in their spare time.

I currently work in software in the space industry (for about 5 years now), and I definitely agree that the cultural pathology is difficult to comprehend. I didn't realize how difficult since I haven't worked in any other industry, but seeing the comment sections on recent Curiosity-related posts here on HN has shown me how much the community wants to understand and how wide the understanding gap is.

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