Slashdot Mirror
2001: A Space Laptop
Phrogman writes: "SpaceRef has posted an exclusive and detailed article concerning NASA's use of laptops in space including information on the LAN configuration aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (with full-color diagrams); lists of software run on the Shuttle laptop computers (with screenshots like this); laptop specs; descriptions of the LAN to be installed on the Space Station; and a lot of other related official NASA materials and links." It's a neat primer on Taking Your Computer to Space, too -- it addresses things like the available power sources, the need for velcro, and quirks of operating in zero G.
Quoting from the article:
The PGSC, and everything else inside the Shuttle, needs to be able to be attached to a stable surface to keep it from floating away. Next to duct tape (also known as "gray tape" at NASA), one of the standard means of attaching one thing to another in space is the use of Velcro.
Heh. Duct tape and velcro are holding our space program together? Seems somehow appropriate. Maybe they can swing over to MIR and patch up some of THEIR problems. Apparently, those stupid russians have been using ordinary masking tape.
-The Reverend
-The Reverend (I am not a Nazi nor a Troll)
=(.\')=
Everyone brace yourselves for the standard barrage of really dorky BSOD-in-space jokes moderated up as funny.
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IBM ThinkPad series PGSCs are not the only laptops that have flown - or will fly in space. Computers using Mac OS and Linux have also flown as part of various payloads and are likely to continue to do so in the future. Meanwhile, the Russians will be using a Weiner Power laptop in their portion of the ISS. Other participating partners will likely bring their own laptops.
All I can envision is wrapping wire around your penis and sticking it in and out of a magnet.
I've put a lot of thought into this. Please don't dismiss me right away.
e -hell-they-are-this-month. The company has literally gobs of liquid cash to burn. Thanks to the contributions of unpaid open source developers everywhere, expenses are low. Thanks to banner ad hits, hardware sales, and software distribution (or distrobution if you're a regular here), revenue is high.
/. logo on the vertical stabilizer. We could even paint "This spacecraft Copyright 1997-2000 OSDN" on the side. We could replace all the computers inside the Shuttle with overclocked VALinux boxes. We could supply the crews with /. coffee mugs and Penquin Mints. Missions could be completed in half the time!
We all recognize the phenomenal success of Slashdot/Andover/VALinux/OSDN/Plymouth/Whoever-th
I think the time has come for Slashdot to think big. I mean bigger than the Slashdot Cruiser. With that in mind, I would like to make a modest proposal:
Paint the Slashdot logo on the Space Shuttle
It could work: Thanks to 8 years of post-Cold War Democratic cutbacks, NASA is hard up for money. Heck, it's a wonder the Shuttle doesn't already look like something out of the NASCAR Winston Cup series.
Why not corporate sponsorship of the Space Shuttle? And who better to provide that sponsorship than the site bringing us "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters?"
Picture it: The Space Shuttle -- painted Slashdot-Green with the
We could even go a step further. We could the entire Shuttle fleet! Instead of "Enterprise", "Endeavor", "Columbia", we could have "CmdrTaco", "JonKatz", and "Hemos".
Imagine hearing a newscaster saying, "The Space Shuttle JonKatz lifted off this morning. It will remain in orbit for three weeks." Doesn't that make you feel a little funny inside?
Is the idea of an open-source space program just a dream? Won't you share the dream with me?
Got a full tank of hot grits and a penis bird in the glove box.
Y'all might be interested in the Fast Company article that's somewhat related, entitled "They Write the Right Stuff." I believe that there was mention of this on /. some months back. It's about the computers that actually control the shuttle and the process of writing that software. Pretty hard-core.
-Waldo
Face it, when in variable G land (e.g. space), it's a really good idea to have too much velcro. And have suits with velcro-ended cables.
Plus, the lack of air motion is very critical - you want a laptop with good heat dissipation and good fans, plus you need to be sure the fan motors can take varying G forces. Overclocking is a big no-no. Extra RAM is highly recommended.
Then there's the CD. Remember, no gravity pulling down makes these very difficult to use. Best to have it in firmware or cartridge form. Spin effects can be very hard to clock right in low or zero-G, and it needs to survive the boost.
Now, when will we see a smart company like Transmeta donate some laptops with low power consumption to NASA, both to sell the chip and to make them hot geek items? Heck, I can see the ads now "As Used By NASA In Zero-G", "The Laptop That Went To Space".
What happens if you get the Blue Screen of Death - do you die?
Will in Seattle
One good thing comes of using windows... If their GPS box dies, they can replace it with a Word document with a tracking pixel.
Need Free Juniper/NetScreen Support? JuniperForum
Working in graphics I have endless problems with conversions of rotations between Euler angles and quaternions. It's funny to see that NASA must share these problems and actually have a stand alone tool to do the conversion. Can you imagine the situations where you actually have to type in those number by hand into a GIO like that!
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-- SIGFPE
We all had a good laugh when the 16lb. beast became the first truly weightless laptop.
I have a positive modifier on Troll. When I mod someone Troll their karma should go UP!
I might expect such a comment from a five-digit-account-number poster like yourself. Slashdot isn't what it used to be.
Geez, you over 2000-account-number guys are touchy, aren't you? Why, back in my day...
The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
And don't even get me started on those two-plus-digit-account-numbers ..
Although inhabitants of nearby planets might catch a brief flash...
The Offical findings include
The only mention I can find of velcro in the whole report is when velcro straps burn, but this is some 15 seconds after the start of the fire, so they're obviously not the cause.