By Neelabja Adkuloo
The Hewlett Packard (HP) Spaceborne supercomputer has created history by becoming the first commercial off-the-shelf computer to run at the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, launched last month by Elon Musks SpaceX and NASA, is set to check if the computer performs seamlessly in the harsh environment of space for one year. That is nearly the amount of time it will take to travel to Mars.
Spaceborne specifications
All systems aboard the ISS undergo significant retrofitting via a process called ruggedisation, to protect themselves from spatial challenges. Those include radiation, solar flares, and micrometeoroids, among others. However, the Spaceborne computer underwent no such traditional ruggedisation. It is identical to a computer that one can buy here on Earth, except for some special software that has been designed to counteract the environmental constraints. At the speed of one trillion calculations per second, the supercomputer promises to be immensely valuable for its ability to process high-definition pictures.
Mission Mars
The existing computing capabilities in space are restricted, which creates a challenge when transmitting data to and from space. Once astronauts travel to Mars, they will experience long communication lags which could be detrimental to their lives as well as their mission. A mission to Mars requires advanced computing resources. HP Enterprise has taken the first step in this direction by launching an ultra-powerful computer into outer space. Other new technologies will be sent to the ISS once Spacebornes exploits and performance is reviewed.
Featured Image Source: donjd2 via VisualHunt.com / CC BY