The Ariane 5 satellite launch vehicle failed because
A) a faulty on-board computer caused the other computers in the network to crash repeatedly.
B) a bad sensor fed faulty information into the flight control computer, causing it to fail.
C) the rocket's on-board computer sent back faulty information to ground control, causing the human controllers to destroy the rocket.
D) code that worked correctly on the Ariane 4 failed on the Ariane 5.
E) a software failure caused the rocket to self-destruct when in actuality the rocket's flight was going perfectly.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Ariane 5 satellite launch vehicle failed because the code that worked correctly on the Ariane 4 failed on the Ariane 5 due to a computer arithmetic error. This caused the rocket's flight control system to receive incorrect information and overcompensate, leading to the rocket veering off course and ultimately self-destructing.

The Ariane 5 Satellite Launch Vehicle Failed Because