| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The software failure incident with NASA's Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars involved a glitch in the rotors during a high-speed spin test, leading to a command sequence ending early due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration. This issue required a software update to address, and NASA had to develop, test, and upload new software onto flight controllers to resolve the problem [113179].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no information in the provided article about a similar software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the NASA Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was related to the design phase. The incident occurred during a high-speed spin test of the rotors when the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration, which was designed to stop the operation if it detects issues. NASA mentioned that a software update is necessary to address this issue, and the agency had to develop, test, and upload new software onto flight controllers to move forward with the mission [113179].
(b) The software failure incident was not related to the operation phase or misuse of the system but rather to a technical issue during the design and testing phase of the helicopter's flight control software. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to NASA's Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was within the system. The incident occurred during a high-speed spin test of the rotors when the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration. This glitch happened when the helicopter tried switching from preflight mode to flight mode, necessitating a software update to address the issue. NASA had to develop, test, and upload new software onto flight controllers to resolve the software trouble [113179]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the NASA's Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was due to a non-human action. The incident occurred during a high-speed spin test of the rotors when the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration, which was designed to stop the operation if it detects issues. This led to a glitch when the helicopter tried switching from preflight mode to flight mode, necessitating a software update to address the issue [113179]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The software failure incident with NASA's Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was not directly attributed to hardware issues. The incident was primarily related to a software glitch that occurred during a high-speed spin test of the rotors, leading to a 'watchdog' timer expiration and the need for a software update to address the issue [113179].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident with NASA's Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was primarily due to a software issue. The glitch occurred when the helicopter tried switching from preflight mode to flight mode, leading to the early termination of the command sequence controlling the test due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration. NASA stated that a software update was necessary to resolve the issue, requiring the development, testing, and uploading of new software onto flight controllers [113179]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the NASA's Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was non-malicious. The failure was due to a technical issue with the aircraft's rotors during a high-speed spin test, which led to a 'watchdog' timer expiration causing the command sequence controlling the test to end early [113179]. NASA mentioned that a software update was necessary to address the issue, and the agency had to develop, test, and upload new software onto flight controllers to move forward with the mission [113179]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
The software failure incident related to NASA's Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was not due to poor decisions but rather accidental decisions. The incident occurred during a high-speed spin test of the rotors when the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration, which was designed to stop the operation if it detects issues [113179]. NASA mentioned that a software update was necessary to address the issue, and the agency had to develop, test, and upload new software onto flight controllers to move forward with the mission [113179]. This indicates that the failure was more of an accidental decision or mistake rather than a result of poor decisions. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the NASA Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was not due to development incompetence. The issue with the helicopter's rotors and the subsequent software update needed were part of the planned testing and development process. NASA identified the problem during a high-speed spin test of the rotors, where the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration [113179]. The software update was deemed necessary to address the issue, and NASA had to develop, test, and upload new software onto flight controllers to move forward with the mission [113179].
(b) The software failure incident in the NASA Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was accidental. The glitch occurred when the helicopter tried switching from preflight mode to flight mode, leading to the early termination of the command sequence controlling the test due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration [113179]. This accidental issue required a software update to rectify the problem and proceed with the planned test flights on Mars. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the NASA's Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars was temporary. The incident occurred during a high-speed spin test of the rotors when the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration, which was designed to stop the operation if it detects issues. NASA mentioned that a software update was necessary to address the issue, and they had to develop, test, and upload new software onto flight controllers to resolve the problem. Once the software update was completed, the helicopter could move forward with its mission, indicating that the software failure was temporary and could be rectified with a software update [113179]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the NASA Ingenuity helicopter project on Mars can be categorized as a crash. The incident occurred during a high-speed spin test of the rotors when the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration, causing the operation to stop abruptly [113179].
(b) omission: The software failure incident did not involve omission as the system was actively engaged in a test (rotor spin test) when the failure occurred, rather than omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance.
(c) timing: The software failure incident was not related to timing issues where the system performed its intended functions but at the wrong time.
(d) value: The software failure incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, but rather the system losing state and not performing any of its intended functions.
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit byzantine behavior with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be described as a system losing state and not performing any of its intended functions due to a 'watchdog' timer expiration during the rotor spin test, leading to the crash of the operation [113179]. |