How to lose a $125 million satellite: NASA's instructions

▤ Summary

This article explains how NASA lost the Mars Climate Orbiter because of a navigation software error tied to unit conversion. The mission used incompatible measurement systems between teams, which caused the spacecraft to enter the Martian atmosphere too low and break apart. The piece frames the failure as a lesson in software quality, systems integration, and process discipline. It also connects the incident to the need for rigorous testing and better coordination across engineering teams.

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