NASA sends "Super" computer to explore Mars

NASA has sent a "supercomputer" to the International Space Station to test its durability in a harsh space environment, in preparation for sending similar devices in the future with space missions to Mars.

The unmanned spacecraft that carried the supercomputer into space, a ship belonging to SpaceX, was launched Monday night.

According to the NASA statement, the purpose of using this supercomputer produced by Hewlett-Packard Enterprise is to help astronauts monitor events and conduct scientific tests on deep space observations.

The International Space Station does not represent an environment suitable for ordinary computers because of exposure to solar radiation and cosmic rays originating outside the solar system, because they exist outside most of the Earth's protective atmosphere.

Exposure to this radiation results in the collapse of the technology devices over time, so computers sent to space must have a reinforced steel structure to withstand this high radiation environment.

The new computer is operated by the open source Linux operating system and is programmed to detect when high radiation occurs, and then responds by controlling its systems and reducing its operating speed to save energy and avoid damage.

It is assumed that the computer has passed 146 safety tests and has been certified by NASA for approval to be sent to space, and is expected to continue to work for a year within the International Space Station.

The computers at the International Space Station (ISS) currently operating the plant are powered by a microprocessor whose initial production dates back to 1985. Despite its introduction, these computers are supported by a 24-hour earth observation system with more powerful computers.

The system is doing so efficiently, and it takes a long time for information from the International Space Station to reach Earth. But when humans reach Mars, the Earth-Mars communication will take 30 minutes in both directions. When you reach Mars.

Source:
https://www.marketplace.org/2017/08/14/tech/nasas-testing-super-computers-send-mars