Slashdot Mirror
NASA Testing Linux-Based Exploration Robots
SeenOnSlash.com writes "This week NASA is testing a Linux-based lunar rover called K-10 in the Arizona desert. To cut costs and promote maintainability the K-10 runs Linux and uses commercial off-the-shelf parts where possible. The robot rover's control and communications system is based on an IBM Thinkpad X31 and attaches to subsystems with standard PC interfaces. Real-time tasks such as fine-grained motor control are offloaded to a distributed network of microcontroller-powered control boards. Maneuvers can be watched through a live webcam."
Does it include a copy of the GPL? Aliens need to know that they are entitled to the source code if they find the probe.
The use of Linux and commercial grade gear for the space program is really quite cool stuff. It makes me think that a really cool contest for NASA would be to have grad students desgn and build a rover/probe and the winner (once vetted by NASA) is actually launched into space. It is probably cost prohibitive but it would be very cool if it happened. It may be a way to break NASA groupthink, and re0invigorate designs with some fresh minds. Not that I'm critisizing NASAs robotics programs, the Mars rovers are a smashing success.
But does it run li... oh.
Why is it that many people who claim to support standards have such atrocious spelling and grammar?
But, does it run Windows?
Good. Cheap. Fast. Pick Two.
Are you...Are you some kind of genius?
No, ma'am, I'm just a regular Slashdot reader.
Will SCO go to Mars to support their IP rights?
A goal is a dream with a deadline
I doubt NASA would never use Windows anything for an actual mission, and that's not a money issue.
The cost savings probably coem from the fact that, with Linux, they have an operating system that they can fully customize to their specific needs (thus Windows would not be an option). Traditionally all of their mission software was 100% home-rolled. I suspect the reduced manpower to build the software is where the savings come in.
=Smidge=
Why don't they just use a MALP?
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
Once again, Linux proves itself as the OS of choice whenever you couldn't care less about the OS.
The robots are driven by custom robot-specific software that has nothing to do with the OS underneath. The main reason Linux gets used in such an application (or in supercomputers, clusters, etc) is simply that the OS doesn't matter enough for anyone to bother, so they'll grab the nearest thing on the shelf.
It's not like there's some feature of the OS that makes it especially robot-friendly.
In other news, Richard Stallman slammed NASA for using GPL code, but not allowing everyone to pilot the robot or go on space mission.
In a statement released today, NASA has responded by offering to send Stallman to Mars.
Have you read my journal today?
NASA is so pitifully underbudgeted that none of these machines were Vista-ready anyway.
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
One, this is a development model. Hardware subject to upgrade when making a "real" unit after the software achieves a basic level of maturity.
Two, you don't need a rad-hardened processor if you can wrap the whole computing unit in a rad-hardened box. Same goes for putting ice cubes in your freezer; if the fridge's materials and power units can withstand a thermal bombardment from the outside, the ice cube inside will remain solid.
[
Namely: it can be dismantled, optimized and modified to your heart's content. Which is a lot, when every millimeter of length and every gram of mass has to be accounted for.
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
Application "Safely Land Vehicle on Mars" is not responding; Would you like to?
1) click "WAIT" to see if application responds before impact with planet's surface
2) click "FORCE QUIT" to stop application "Warning, you may lose some data"
3) Hit CNTRL-ALT-DEL frantically about 40 times followed by holding the power switch down until computer finally shuts down then restart. System should reboot after mandatory check of hard drive allowing you to try the application again.
4) start MS Word to quickly compose last will and testament?
A goal is a dream with a deadline
I worked this summer at NASA Ames on an internship, particularly designing a control/power system for an arm thats to be mounted on K-10. The reason they used Red Hat Linux is because it is the system they use throughout the Ames base on the regular linux desktop machines, and it probably allows them to consolidate some maintenance without dealing with multiple distros. Also, its not designed to be space-ready, its basically a test bed for developing software and effective techniques for operation, that would be later translated to space ready rovers. In response to other comments: yes, there is an older version called K-9, which is actuall more designed to look space ready although K-10 is far more useful as a test bed. Additionally, in the coming months there is a new version K-11 being developed.
The days of NASA designing their own systems from scratch using proprietary stuff should be just about over. While in days of yore, there really wasn't much in the way of "off the shelf" parts, and NASA (had to/ could get a way with) large R&D budgets for designing tech gear, at this point its better they focused their thing (exploration/safer rockets/advanced propulsion) and let the tech community do the computer hardware/software design. Its a function of ROI- Apple/MS/Intel/IBM/Moto/Linux etc. have spent billions, and more importantly, thousands of man hours perfecting stuff- I would rather NASA spent its man hours doing user applications, device drivers, etc., than designing a new computing platform whose relative youth could cause a mishap. That simple user app from Linux's view point, protected from doing harm to the OS or itself by micro kernels, memory protection, etc., might actually be a rover AI. That simple device driver might be a USB rover mandible. Its all about fighting the common foe of all engineers : Complexity. There is enough of that in NASA's domain to keep them busy for a long time :)
They actually use VxWorks for several spacecraft, I don't know what they use for the rovers though.
There does seem to be a trend in NASA though to try moving away from commercial/proprietary products across the board. I have seen them using Fedora and other shades of Linux on their testbeds for simulation, and I have heard talk of them looking into RTOS versions of Linux for the future.
I love my job.
ATHLETE is one of the coolest damn things I've seen in a long time, designed and built by a team of absolutely brilliant engineers. Think of a two-meter-tall six-legged metal spider on roller skates. Or, heck, just check the link above.
The current ATHLETE is a prototype (of course); the ones we send to the moon -- if we're selected -- will be twice that size. Yes, Slashdotters, welcome our four-meter-tall six-legged roller-skate-wearing metal spider overlords!
For additional coverage of K-10, ATHLETE, Centaur/Robonaut, and other vehicles participating in this test, check out the updates from JSC.
``Life results from the non-random survival of randomly varying replicators.'' -- Richard Dawkins
Somehow I doubt the laptops are responsible for anything on the mission beyond multimedia applications and the crew's personal use. Not exactly what would be considered "mission software".
The shuttle itself uses a bunch of 32bit AP-101 systems, which I doubt would be running Windows even if they were capable.
=Smidge=
I really, really doubt that the licence cost is an issue when talking about millions of dollars (even for those low-cost missions). Instead, the real advantage in using linux for robotics (IMO) is the network transparency. Remote access is no issue with Linux (or any other unixish OS for that matter). It has lots of network protocols too (AX25 comes to mind).
..."
One issue might be the code size. Remember that the Mars Exploration Rovers had multiple software upgrades sent over during the mission. An embedded RTOS is usually smaller in size, so that's a real time saver. But then again, with linux you could simply include gcc in the rover, send over the diff's, and let the rover compile the flight software in situ, and compare the output with md5. That would be a first! And you could simply interrupt the make process if the power runs low, and restart later. A standard make will find out where it was and continue from there, right out of the box.
PS: One more reason not to use windoze: just imagine getting a message from the other side of the solar system saying "Your version of windows is not genuine. Please contact
"It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
Traditionally all of their mission software was 100% home-rolled.
This is untrue - Spirit and Opportunity run VxWorks.
It would be interested to see any modifications NASA come out with for Linux (although since they aren't distributing the software they don't technically need to release the source). I understand they use a modified IP stack for communicating with recent probes, etc. so that's all stuff that could be published.
I suspect the reduced manpower to build the software is where the savings come in.
There could be stability bonuses too - even though noone else is using Linux for this job, the fact that large chunks of the code have been in use by a large number of people for years may be a big benefit - there's only so far that testing in the lab will go. (That is not to say they will reduce the testing they do, but starting with a code base that's well proved already is always a good thing on top of your normal test procedures)
http://blog.nexusuk.org