Chapter 18, Problem 2TQ

Explanation of Solution

a.

“Yes”, the Phobos 1 spacecraft committed suicide due to the fault software command sequence uploaded in its computer.

Justification:

• Phobos 1 is a Russian spacecraft mission which was launched on 7^th July 1988 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
• The major objective of the mission is to study and explore the planet mars and its two moons.
• The spacecraft also had instruments to explore the sun and gamma-ray burst sources...

Explanation of Solution

b.

Reason to delay in opening the Denver International Airport:

The delay in opening the Denver International Airport was due to some software and hardware failures in automated baggage system.

Explanation:

• Denver International Airport in the United States was scheduled to open on May 15, 1994.
• But, the opening was postponed due to some errors in the automated baggage system which was found out just before the opening ceremony.
• The automated baggage is first of its kind in any international airport...

Explanation of Solution

c.

Cost to repair the software:

The cost to repair the ambulance dispatch system software in London, England is nearly “£1.1 million to £1.5 million”.

Explanation:

• The London Ambulance Service (LAS) system was run completely manually until 1992.
• The LAS authorities want to change the existing manual system to the proposed automated ambulance dispatch system.
• The proposed system consists of Automated Vehicle Locating System (AVLS) and mobile data terminals inside the ambulance to track the current location.
• The automated system was implemented on October 26, 1992; within few hours, the system was plagued with many errors...

Explanation of Solution

d.

Reason for USS Yorktown to be dead in the water:

The software error which caused the USS Yorktown to be dead in the water for several hours happened due to erroneous data entered manually.

Explanation:

• The US Navy introduced Smart ship technology to reduce manpower, workloads, maintenance cost, and sailors cost.
• The smart ship technology was considered as a success until September 1997.
• The USS Yorktown was installed with smart ship technology, and it is the ship which suffered the first major drawback of the technology...