sounds about right.
https://www.geek.com/chips/nasa-need...-chips-549867/
This was an article from 2002.
Originally Posted by geekOriginally Posted by geek
Last edited by gamevet; 31 May 2018 at 10:24 PM.
sounds about right.
I remember this. There was a big plan to upgrade stuff. Then 9/11 happened and we cut space budgets to the bone. Oddly enough, that's a plot point in my story.
The transistors in newer CPUs are susceptible to failure caused by high energy particles passing through them from what I understand.
That sounds reasonable. The march of progress and demand for smaller ecological footprints, etc. would lend to using parts that work okay here but don't hold up under extreme conditions like that.
People have this unreasonable expectation that we can magically produce durable things that don't cost much. There are formulas that cover expense vs. durability of parts/accuracy of manufacturing and things like that. We say, "Oh they should make transistors that DO stand up to neutrinos!" and then balk at the cost.
We could still make the older style devices, but there's probably not enough demand for it to be worthwhile.
smoke signals seem very reliable, can you see it in space?
Debatable. Nasa built everything via contracts. And some of the companies we contracted with no longer exist. Or didn't keep good records. It isn't a stretch to say that we'd have to reinvent things if we ever wanted to build new rockets.
It's becoming increasingly clear that modern corporate capatilism is horrible at preserving culture and knowledge. If it doesn't help with this quarter, fuck it. They're like zombies forever hungry for more, rotting away as they shamble.
The chips were not at fault for either shuttle blowing up.
Challenger blew up because the weather in Florida on launch day was too cold to keep pressurized gas from leaking out of a seal on one of the booster rockets, which sprayed out onto the main fuel tank and melted a small section of the tank, which caught fire and eventually exploded.
Columbia burned up on reentry because a chunk of ice fell off the top of the fuel tank during launch and damaged the orbiter which lead to heat shielding being ineffective.
But they are a good example of why the shuttles were retired. And if you think using that stuff was scary for the shuttle, think about this. All of the stuff the shuttle was using is still being used by your nuclear weapons force.
Yeah, we all know why the 2 shuttles blew up, but it’s just the thought that what we thought of as advanced space technolgy, was anything but. We have drones with better computer tech onboard. That’s scary.
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