HP is putting a supercomputer in space
No matter where you are on Earth, your computer just works. As long as you have power (or a battery) and a broadband internet connection, your device is good to go, with access to essentially the computing power of the entire world.
That's not true in space. Computers on the International Space Station need to connect via a laggy, bandwidth-starved connection that's beamed from the surface -- basically satellite internet.
SEE ALSO:Here's how Virgin's space program is different than SpaceXIf you've ever used satellite internet, you know how much it sucks. That means, for computers on the ISS, they don't have instant access to the kind of cloud computing that we take for granted here on Earth: When you ask Siri or Alexa a question, for example, your speech is digitized, processed in the cloud, and responded to in real time. Try that on the ISS, and you might wait minutes for the answer, if it works at all.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise is looking to give space computing a huge upgrade with a new kind of supercomputer. Launching on Monday in a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Spaceborne Computer will add some serious computing power to the ISS -- a general-purpose machine that scientists will be able to use to crunch numbers without relying on the station's internet connection.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Spaceborne Computer, which will finally bring modern computing to the ISS.Credit: HPE"This is a general-purpose high-performance computing Linux-based system," says Mark Fernandez, Americas Technology Officer at HPE and leading payload engineer for the project. "All of the top 500 [supercomputers] run similar to this. Scientists will be able to to focus on science and not the networking ... the downlink internet from the ISS isn't that good."
But HPE's fancy space PC isn't just about putting a few teraflops in orbit. It's an entirely new approach to building computers for space missions, and if it's successful, it could mean the computers on board NASA spacecraft won't always be notoriously bad and outdated.
Computers built for space have prioritized reliability above all -- after all, it's pretty hard for IT to respond to a help desk request if the problem is 250 miles up. Not only do the chips need to be proven, but the machines themselves need to be ruggedized for extreme cold, cosmic rays, and even solar flares.
"Currently it can take years to harden a computer," says Fernandez. "By the time it's finished its mission, it could be three to five generations old."
The Spaceborne Computer, however, is different. It foregoes much of the physical ruggedizing for software that will theoretically compensate for conditions on the ISS -- throttling its performance in reaction to space-based radiation, for instance. It doesn't need the full rugged treatment partly because it's meant to be used for only a year; after that, its rack design (also new to the ISS) means it can be easily swapped out for a new and improved model.
You can see where this is going: If the machine successfully survives the rigors of space, the swaps can continue indefinitely, keeping the system on board the ISS current and modern -- something virtually unheard of in space missions. Typically, researchers on space missions have brought their own devices for general computing tasks, but there's only so much power you can pack into a laptop.
There's another mission HPE's Spaceborne Computer is auditioning for: traveling to Mars would take about a year, and since the distance to Earth is obviously much greater than anything in orbit, the standalone computing power on that spacecraft will matter even more. And if HPE's experiment is a success, humanity's first Mars explorers might not have to settle for the computing power of an Apple IIe.
Featured Video For You
Here are 7 things you probably didn't know about 'Masters of the Universe'
-
[Online Predators] Deepfake pornography haunts S. KoreaGIPHY names top GIFs of 2021, including one from 'The Office'The 13 Twitter memes that defined 2021.Hospitals need to cancel elective procedures to flatten the coronavirus curve.Giant dualGoogle introduces insurance and language filters for doctor searchesTwo Koreas hold working第六届杨凌国际种业创新论坛召开Haider all set for Paralympics CeremonyQuantum dot solar cells break efficiency record, silicon in its sights
- ·多措并举优治理 绘就幸福新图景
- ·US looking at Pyongyang for possible November election meddling
- ·Intelligence agencies repeatedly warned Trump of a likely pandemic. He ignored them.
- ·Joe Biden puts it all together as primary season falls apart.
- ·Scientists detect water sloshing on Mars. There could be a lot.
- ·丰产又丰收,陆丰甘薯不能(不)说的秘密→
- ·一只大熊猫下山喝水闻邀请声回头望村民
- ·First couples' fashion statements
- ·一针一线串起两代人的传承故事
- ·因海而立,向海庆丰收!汕头庆祝2023中国农民丰收节
- ·丰收之夜,巅峰对决!9月23日晚,#广东乡村歌手大赛 全省首场赛区决赛来了,#肇庆赛区 总决赛正式打响!#高要HELLO不夜城
- ·Amazon fixed a major security issue with its Ring cameras in secret
- ·Best Home Depot Labor Day sale deals
- ·[Interactive] Doe a deer, slow the gear
- ·Trump says he got tested as Pence announces travel restrictions to the U.K. and Ireland.
- ·Google deploys new AI tool to COVID
- ·Echo Dot (5th gen) deal — get it for $29.99 at Amazon
- ·Drones that hunt screaming humans just want to help
- ·Everton humbled by Bournemouth
- ·对标先进医疗管理体系助力“健康雅安”建设
- ·Understanding Relational vs. Non
- ·Fox News is denying coronavirus and risking viewers' lives.
- ·一只大熊猫下山喝水闻邀请声回头望村民
- ·Trump says he got tested as Pence announces travel restrictions to the U.K. and Ireland.
- ·一针一线串起两代人的传承故事
- ·Power plant condenser coating could cut 460 million tons of CO2 per year
- ·Alcaraz vs. Van de Zandschulp 2024 livestream: Watch US Open for free
- ·Trump endorses Jeff Sessions’ opponent Tommy Tuberville in Alabama GOP senate race.
- ·US, South Korean defense chiefs talk after Pyongyang summit
- ·Mitt Romney endorses lefty plan to send everyone $1,000 coronavirus checks
- ·The Analog Embrace: How Some Experiences Are Surviving the Digital Age
- ·Solar catalyst captures methane to create pure hydrogen and carbon
- ·Wordle today: Here's the August 13 Wordle answer and hints
- ·Volvo concept car previews its all
- ·It's Unnecessary But, AMD Is Basically Lying About CPU Performance
- ·Pakistani cueist Babar Masih beats Indian opponent