THE DEVIL WITHIN A TALE ABOUT COMPUTERS, EXPERTS AND CONFUSION

摘要

Printed circuit boards [1] and EEE components arernthe foundation block of computers. They are the basisrnwhere a fault may have fatal consequences. Modernrnspacecraft are heavily depending on these devices.rnEEE components typically make up 8-20% of therncost of a spacecraft. Their quality is essential [2], [3],rn[4], [5].rnWe all use printed circuit boards everywhere, fromrnTV to freezer to your car, but what is it actually: Justrna holding place for IC′s and other stuff or is therernmore to it?rnDuring the course of manufacturing and testingrnsystems for use in an ATV (automated transferrnvehicle) an unexpected behavior was found with arnsubsystem which drives ATV′s propulsion. This wasrnjust the beginning of a long journey to find the rootrncause of failures hiding deeply in a microscopicrnworld. Suppliers, independent laboratories, projectrnteam members and ESA specialists were searchingrnfor explanations. In the course of investigation morernsuspects were found. Could that jeopardize arnmission? Are there similar problems in otherrnprojects?