The Mars Climate Orbiter crashed on the surface of Mars because
A) one program output thrust in terms of foot-pounds, and another program expected thrust to be expressed in terms of newtons.
B) the probe lost contact with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory when it entered the Martian atmosphere.
C) a bug in the computer program caused the vehicle to consume too much fuel on the way to Mars, leaving an inadequate supply for landing.
D) the extreme cold of deep space caused the computer to crash.
E) before programmers went on strike at subcontractor Lockheed Martin, one of them sabotaged the flight control software.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Mars Climate Orbiter crashed on the surface of Mars because one program output thrust in terms of foot-pounds, and another program expected thrust to be expressed in terms of newtons. This resulted in the spacecraft's trajectory being off course, causing it to enter the Martian atmosphere at the wrong angle and burn up or bounce off the atmosphere.

The Mars Climate Orbiter Crashed on the Surface of Mars