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NASA Testing Linux-Based Exploration Robots

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the penguinnnnnss-innnnn-spaaaace dept.

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."

11 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. Linux in space by product+byproduct · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

    1. Re:Linux in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, the little bastards didn't seem to need a license for the last probe they gave me :-(

  2. Awesome! by Si · · Score: 5, Funny

    But does it run li... oh.

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  3. Obligatory... by DittoBox · · Score: 4, Funny

    But, does it run Windows?

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  4. OTS by faqmaster · · Score: 5, Funny
    Off the shelf parts are prolly fine for the Arizona desert. For two years of hard radiation bombardment then two plus years of -100 C and a constant coating of fine dust - not so much. Linux, on the other hand, thanks to its GPL code should have no problem in space. Just
    insmod hard-rad-i386-0.16
    and then
    modprobe cryo-chillin-i386-0.9
    and it should be fine. Also, don't forget to update crontab with
    10 4 1 * * /root/scripts/dustoff.sh >> /dev/null 2>&1
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  5. More importantly... by StressGuy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Will SCO go to Mars to support their IP rights?

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    1. Re:More importantly... by networkBoy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hopefully :-)

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  6. Moo by Chacham · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

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  7. Re:A great Contest by KokorHekkus · · Score: 4, Insightful
    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.

    I suspect that the idea here is to cut down development costs, not the build costs for the final implementation. Commercial grade gear just wouldn't cut in space with the extrem temperature swings, cosmic radiation messing with memory or if you end up on Venus god knows what kind of weird atmosphere.

    But someone could actually build a proof of concept design (like they're doing now) that could become the basis for the actual rover. I can't imagine it takes that much more work using Linux than some other solution since there's bound to be a lot of non-standard stuff going on with the rover software.
  8. Re:Of course there is by Have+Blue · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, it's great that you can tweak your makefile to shave a few extra grams off the kernel here and there.

  9. Re:"To Cut Costs"???? by FireFury03 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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)

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