SpaceX and HP Enterprise to Send Supercomputer to ISS Next Week

Megalith

Megalith

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A SpaceX CRS-12 rocket will launch from Kennedy Space Center to bring an HP supercomputer, the Spaceborne Computer, to the International Space Station next week: it’s part of an experiment to see how long off-the-shelf computer components can survive the harsh conditions of space. NASA has been forced to send a regular supply of laptops to the ISS, as space travel has been limiting their lifespan to mere months.

The HPE Spaceborne Computer, which is built with the assistance of NASA, is based on HP’s high-density (and aptly-named) Apollo 40 servers, running an unspecified version of Linux, and using a custom water-cooled enclosure for the mission. NASA only approves computers for space use if they’ve been sufficiently ruggedized in order to withstand space conditions — like radiation, solar flares, subatomic particles, micrometeoroids, and so on. To accomplish this, HPE built a software system that can automatically adjust for environmentally-induced computer errors, while adjusting the Spaceborne’s Computers performance based on current conditions.
 
This is really cool and another step to our leaving this planet and heading out into the beyond.
 
Linux, hehe. No W10 spyware using up all available bandwidth. :LOL:

Hope the crew holds up better than those laptops.
 
Are they implying that zero g screws up laptops? Because people have been taking laptops into space since Mir, and I don't remember anyone crying about them dying. Maybe the zero g screws with hard drives or fans or something. Also pretty sure I read somewhere that they had 360's and ps3's on the space station. Let me see if I can find that.

edit - can't seem to find anything about game consoles in space. Hmm, I was sure I'd read that somewhere. Also the thing with the laptops might be because of radiation, the astronauts are supposed to use shielded laptops.
 
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Burticus said:
Are they implying that zero g screws up laptops? Because people have been taking laptops into space since Mir, and I don't remember anyone crying about them dying. Maybe the zero g screws with hard drives or fans or something. Also pretty sure I read somewhere that they had 360's and ps3's on the space station. Let me see if I can find that.

edit - can't seem to find anything about game consoles in space. Hmm, I was sure I'd read that somewhere. Also the thing with the laptops might be because of radiation, the astronauts are supposed to use shielded laptops.
Click to expand...

I'm relatively certain it has little to do with zero g, and a lot to do with EMI and radiation making things wonky
 
these 'supercomputers' are as big as a two 17" laptop. strapped to each other Maybe they were super 25 years ago, but this label is just more pr-friendly than having any real merit to it
 
hmmm...

here is the actual nasa page on this

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/2304.html#overview

so.. the system is 2 1U servers in a 6U chassis. 1 chassis is on the station, another duplicate on earth, to compare. interesting.

they also plan on lowering the power and clock speeds on the system during high radiation events to see if that helps extend life. one thing though that stood out is this

> The systems are expected to generate about 5.4 MB of uncompressed ASCII files per day

a WHOLE 5.4MB.. per day??? good gawd i hope thats wrong as my calculator could exceed that. but i am guessing it might have to do with bandwidth restrictions as they want to download the files daily, and there might be limited windows for doing such.

it will be an interesting test though

i also wonder, since the ISS is solar powered, just how much power they have to spare, and how much their cooling system has spare capacity

also, the apollo 40 computer is an interesting choice as they all appear to be GPU oriented systems

https://www.hpe.com/us/en/product-c...rs/pip.hpe-apollo-sx40-server.1010032496.html

i wonder if they will each contain the 4 telsa GPU's, but i am doubting it
 
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