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takyon writes:

Europe's Mars lander failed due to hardware and software inadequacies, according to a new report:

The crashed European spacecraft Schiaparelli was ill-prepared for its attempt at landing on the surface of Mars. That's the conclusion of an inquiry into the failure on 16 October 2016.

The report outlines failings during the development process and makes several recommendations ahead of an attempt to land a rover on Mars in 2020. That mission will require more testing, improvements to software and more outside oversight of design choices.

[...] The report authors catalogue a series of necessary upgrades to onboard software, as well as suggesting improvements to the modelling of parachute dynamics. They also recommended a more stringent approach - including better quality control - during the procurement of equipment from suppliers.

One of the recommendations is that NASA's JPL should double-check ESA's work.

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