In the end they concluded that the G-switch sensors had accidentally been installed upside down in the spacecraft, preventing them from detecting the deceleration and starting the parachute sequence.. Furthermore, this error wasnât caught by several oversight processes.
A centrifuge test was originally planned to actually test the G-switches, but it was canceled. Another test made sure the G-switches were working, but it didnât check their orientation.
The report states that engineers were aware of the need to test the switch orientation, but decided to test them as part of a later phase.
The only documentation indicating that Genesis Project Management or Systems Engineering had been informed of a centrifuge test deletion was a single bullet presented at two management reviews that read, âSRC AU 3-g test approach validated; moved to unit test; separate test not required.â