If one MC fails, what is the surviving MC's primary role?

If one MC fails, what is the surviving MC's primary role?

• A. Mission Accomplishment
• B. Navigation
• C. None
• D. Both

Answer: (B)

In a redundant mission computer setup, the surviving unit must keep the vehicle guided. Its main job is navigation: processing sensors, computing the current state (position, velocity, attitude), and generating the guidance and control commands to keep the vehicle on its intended path. Tasks related to mission execution and automation are important, but the continuous, safety-critical function that must persist after a failure is navigation. So the surviving computer serves as the primary source for navigation, ensuring the mission can continue even with one computer down.

In a redundant mission computer setup, the surviving unit must keep the vehicle guided. Its main job is navigation: processing sensors, computing the current state (position, velocity, attitude), and generating the guidance and control commands to keep the vehicle on its intended path. Tasks related to mission execution and automation are important, but the continuous, safety-critical function that must persist after a failure is navigation. So the surviving computer serves as the primary source for navigation, ensuring the mission can continue even with one computer down.