Spacecraft Exits Safe Mode
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, at Mars since 2006, put itself into a precautionary standby mode on Feb. 15 in response to sensing an unexpectedly low battery voltage.
UPDATED AT 4:15 p.m. PST ON FEB. 23, 2018On Feb. 23, 2018, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was brought out of safe mode, a precautionary standby status. The mission's team is proceeding cautiously to restore the spacecraft to full service in coming days.MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER MISSION STATUS REPORTNASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), at Mars since 2006,
put itself into a precautionary standby mode on Feb. 15 in response to sensing
an unexpectedly low battery voltage.The orbiter is solar-powered but relies on a pair of
nickel-hydrogen batteries during periods when it is in the shadow of Mars for a
portion of each orbit. The two are used together, maintaining almost identical
charge during normal operations.The spacecraft remains in communication with Earth and has
been maintaining safe, stable temperatures and power, but has suspended its
science observations and its service as a communications relay for Mars rovers.
Normal voltage has been restored, and the spacecraft is being monitored
continuously until the troubleshooting is complete."We're in the diagnostic stage, to better understand the
behavior of the batteries and ways to give ourselves more options for managing
them in the future," said MRO Project Manager Dan Johnston of NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. "We will restore MRO's
service as a relay for other missions as soon as we can do so with confidence
in spacecraft safety -- likely in about one week. After that, we will resume science
observations."NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter entered orbit around the
Red Planet on March 10, 2006. Since then, it has returned more data than all
other past and current interplanetary missions combined, with a tally of more than
317 terabits so far.The mission met all its science goals in a two-year primary
science phase. Five extensions, the latest beginning in 2016, have added to the
science returns. The longevity of the mission has given researchers tools to
study seasonal and longer-term changes on Mars. Among other current activities,
the orbiter is examining possible landing sites for future missions to Mars and
relaying communications to Earth from NASA's two active Mars rovers.JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
Lockheed Martin Space, Denver, built the orbiter and collaborates with JPL to
operate it. For more information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, visit:https://www.nasa.gov/mrohttps://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/