您的当前位置:首页 > 产品中心 > HP is putting a supercomputer in space 正文
时间:2024-09-22 14:37:59 来源:网络整理 编辑:产品中心
No matter where you are on Earth, your computer just works. As long as you have power (or a battery)
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and if it's successful, it could mean the computers on board NASA spacecraft won't always be notoriously bad and outdated.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.
21 Lost and Lonely Cemeteries2024-09-22 14:36
The recent climate change disasters might mean no one can go home again.2024-09-22 14:05
'Manipulated' photo of Kate Middleton pulled by media agencies. Why?2024-09-22 13:33
Chelsea vow brighter future2024-09-22 13:28
Webb scientists haven't found a rocky world with air. But now they have a plan.2024-09-22 12:59
Slate News Quiz: Capitol Police, Line 3, Joe Biden overseas trip.2024-09-22 12:45
Dyson Airstrait deal: $100 off for Best Buy Plus & Total members2024-09-22 12:31
Stop telling Justice Breyer to retire.2024-09-22 12:26
热浪来袭 科学应对防中暑2024-09-22 12:01
Pence booed and heckled at conservative conference: “Traitor!”2024-09-22 11:51
中山古镇:到苏炳添家乡看“村BA”,来一场说走就走的美食之旅2024-09-22 14:25
东融成渝西向拓展 构建开放发展格局2024-09-22 14:21
North Korea confirms test2024-09-22 14:15
Best Dyson deal: Get a Dyson V15 Detect Extra for $599.99 at Best Buy2024-09-22 14:13
Blinken condemns Russia2024-09-22 14:08
Best Roborock deal: Save 43% on the Roborock Q5+ robot vacuum2024-09-22 14:07
In unilateral vote led by opposition, Assembly passes resolution against Fukushima water release2024-09-22 14:05
North Korean leader says boosting military capabilities is 'not for war with South or US'2024-09-22 14:01
The AI stock bubble has burst. Here's how we know.2024-09-22 13:09
Best Roomba deal: The Roomba Combo i5+ robot vacuum is $299.99 for the Feb. 27 Best Buy Drop2024-09-22 12:00