The Spacecraft Lost by a Spreadsheet Error, and Other Tales of Ambition

On 23 September 1999, NASA lost contact with the Mars Climate Orbiter after a catastrophic navigation error caused by one team using imperial units and another using metric. The spacecraft, which cost $125 million and had travelled for nine months, burned up in the Martian atmosphere. This episode examines that expensive mistake alongside three other moments from the same date: the deification of Drusilla, sister of Roman Emperor Caligula, in 38 AD, making her the first Roman woman granted divine status; the fatal 1910 Alpine crossing by 23-year-old aviator Jorge Chávez, who became the first person to fly over the Alps in a Blériot XI monoplane before his aircraft collapsed on landing; and the 1884 grounding of the steamship Arctique near the Strait of Magellan, which accidentally triggered the Tierra del Fuego gold rush when survivors discovered gold deposits nearby. Each story reveals the often uncomfortable gap between human intention and historical outcome.

Chapters

• Introduction Clara Vale introduces the episode’s theme: how do you lose a spacecraft? The answer involves mixing up metric and imperial units, costing NASA $125 million and a Mars mission.
• The Mars Climate Orbiter: A Hundred and Twenty-Five Million Reasons to Check Your Units The Mars Climate Orbiter launched in December 1998 and was lost on 23 September 1999 due to a navigation error. Lockheed Martin sent thruster data in pound-force seconds whilst NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory expected newton seconds, causing the spacecraft to enter Mars’ atmosphere at the wrong angle and disappear.
• Caligula Makes His Sister a Goddess On 23 September 38 AD, Roman Emperor Caligula deified his sister Drusilla as Panthea following her death in June. She became the first Roman woman granted divine status, though this did not survive Caligula’s assassination in 41 AD.
• Jorge Chávez Crosses the Alps On 23 September 1910, 23-year-old aviator Jorge Chávez became the first person to fly across the Alps, crossing from Brig, Switzerland to Domodossola, Italy in a Blériot XI monoplane. His aircraft’s wings collapsed on landing and he died four days later from his injuries.
• The Arctique Runs Aground and Starts a Gold Rush The steamship Arctique ran aground near Cape Virgenes on 23 September 1884. Survivors discovered placer gold nearby, triggering the Tierra del Fuego gold rush and accelerating colonisation of the region, with devastating consequences for the indigenous Selknam people.
• Outro Clara reflects on the gap between human intention and historical outcome, connecting the day’s stories of ambition, planning, and unexpected consequences.

Links

• https://www.nasa.gov/
• https://mars.nasa.gov/msp98/orbiter/
• https://llis.nasa.gov/lesson/1307
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Caligula-Roman-emperor
• https://www.ancient.eu/Drusilla/
• https://www.airandspace.si.edu/
• https://www.fai.org/
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Tierra-del-Fuego