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Is Playing a DVD Harder Than Rocket Science?

Posted by samzenpus on from the too-much-TV dept.

dacut writes "After successfully repairing the Hubble Space Telescope, astronauts aboard the shuttle Atlantis found themselves with a free day due to thunderstorms which delayed their return. They attempted to pass the time by watching movies, only to find that their laptops did not have the proper software, and Houston was unable to help. No word, alas, on what software was involved, though we can assume that software/codec updates are a tad difficult when you're orbiting the planet at 17,200MPH."

2 of 464 comments (clear)

  1. Re:VLC by fractoid · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Isn't there a small issue with this being a government-funded space mission, and VLC being somewhat in breach of the DMCA or software patents or something due to its inclusion of a not-paid-up DVD decoder? I may be out of date on this issue, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have VLC for the same reason they wouldn't encode mp3s with LAME.

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  2. Re:VLC by John+Hasler · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > Borders extend vertically only in US law, not in the rest of the world...

    They extend diagonally in the rest of the world? Your nation claims no airspace?

    > ...another law that does not apply outside the USA

    What law might that be?

    While Congress has never enacted legislation formally defining the upper limit of US air space the most common administrative limit is 50 miles (80km). The USA certainly does not claim that its borders extend vertically to infinity. Space is clearly recognized by the US government as international territory.

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