The CPU In New Horizons Is From The Original PlayStation

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
Here's something interesting that I bet most of you didn't know.

Yep, the same MIPS R3000 CPU that once ran Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid was repurposed by NASA in 2006 to fire thrusters, monitor sensors, and transmit data from the New Horizons space probe. You may have thought defeating Ruby Weapon was an achievement but try orchestrating a gravity-assisted flyby past Jupiter on a four-hour time delay.
Click to expand...
 
So when I chickened out of fighting Omega Weapon in FF8, I lost the ability to become the Alpha and the Omega of the galaxy? Damnit....
 
We went to the Moon in 1969 with weak processors for THAT time.

Makes me feel bad when I write code that takes seconds to execute on modern processors :(
 
Remember doing the disc swap trick? I mean, remember reading about that?
 
Darunion said:
Remember doing the disc swap trick? I mean, remember reading about that?
Click to expand...

I remember people having to put their PSX upside down due to the drive system wearing out prematurely on early models. Mine never got that issue but I guess I didn't keep it long enough either
 
It's not exactly the same CPU, but it uses the same MIPS uarch. It's more likely a radiation hardened version that can withstand unprotected conditions of space. Like this one: http://synova.com/proc/mg5.html
 
Does The Verge actually think that the R3000 was originally designed strictly for the PlayStation? I wouldn't be surprised.
 
I remember watching the NASA broadcasts as astronauts fixed the Hubble the first time, where they installed what basically amounted to contact lenses.

I was watching it will messing around on my 1 or 2 year old 486DX-33 and during the repair they also upgraded the CPU in the Hubble to a 386SX

Also saw an interesting story back a couple years before the shuttles were retired about NASA buying up old 286, and older CPUs, to use to keep the shuttle's flying
 
DarkStar_WNY said:
I remember watching the NASA broadcasts as astronauts fixed the Hubble the first time, where they installed what basically amounted to contact lenses.
Click to expand...
I never liked that metaphor because something wasn't added to fix the telescope's flawed primary or relay mirrors. Astronauts replaced some small relay mirrors (only a couple of inches in diameter), intentionally created with distortions to cancel out the ones in the still defective main mirror. Regardless, it's still amazing they were able to correct the optics so well with the telescope in space due to the precision involved.
 
pxc said:
I never liked that metaphor because something wasn't added to fix the telescope's flawed primary or relay mirrors. Astronauts replaced some small relay mirrors (only a couple of inches in diameter), intentionally created with distortions to cancel out the ones in the still defective main mirror. Regardless, it's still amazing they were able to correct the optics so well with the telescope in space due to the precision involved.
Click to expand...

They didn't lie when they basically said "Hubble needed glasses"
 
DarkStar_WNY said:
Also saw an interesting story back a couple years before the shuttles were retired about NASA buying up old 286, and older CPUs, to use to keep the shuttle's flying
Click to expand...

Prolly not for like actually inside the shuttle since the onboard computers were not at all x86 nor was their software.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_AP-101
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/flyfeature_shuttlecomputers.html

Plus, NASA said they were super reliable systems and were radiation hardened so just any old 286 wouldn't be certified for something important in space operation for life support or whatever. They have to do crazy-cakes stuff like make CPUs out of sapphire and other weird stuff. Maybe those old computers were for like Mission Control or ground operations to continue running super old software in non-critical systems.
 
Megalith said:
Does The Verge actually think that the R3000 was originally designed strictly for the PlayStation? I wouldn't be surprised.
Click to expand...

The Motorola 68000 was only designed for the Sega Genesis. Or the 6502/6507 was only in Atari or NES.

CPU's are programmable, multipurpose CPU's. Even if they are slightly modified for use in another application, they are nearly the same CPU and can use the same instruction set. AFAIK, anyway. I'm just starting to get into ASM.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top