Stress-Testing Software For Deep Space

kenekaplan writes "NASA has used VxWorks for several deep space missions, including Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. When the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) needs to run stress tests or simulations for upgrades and fixes to the OS, Wind River's Mike Deliman gets the call. In a recent interview, Deliman, a senior member of the technical staff at Wind River, which is owned by Intel, gave a peek at the legacy technology under Curiosity's hood and recalled the emergency call he got when an earlier Mars mission hit a software snag after liftoff."

Comments

Re:Seems like a rationalization

[Required Snark]

Yep, you're obviously correct. Everyone at NASA is stupid, and just by looking at a summery on Slashdot you have reached a conclusion that escaped them. Windows or plain old Linux would work just fine.

If your comment is any indication of you native intelligence I don't know how you manage to put your clothes on by yourself. It's surprising that you haven't wandered into the street and been killed by a car. (That's just my wishful thinking, by the way.)

Any autonomous vehicle, is by definition, a real time system. It's working in a physical environment that requires hard real time response. If the control action is not delivered in a specified interval, it is useless. The result of missing a hard deadline is crashing. Not such a good idea on Mars. The speed of light delay time is 14 minutes one way, and it's going to get longer since the Earth and Mars are now moving apart.

All indications imply that you are as stupid as you look. Your SIG implies that you are a knee jerk right wing asshole, who assumes that all government activity is useless. I worked a JPL years ago, and everyone one I met there was bright, creative and dedicated. There were no slackers. I doubt you would last in that environment for two pay periods. You're not smart enough.