Comments on: Curiosity to switch computers in effort to restore operations https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/curiosity-to-switch-computers-in-effort-to-restore-operations/ Fri, 05 Oct 2018 01:02:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: wayne https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/curiosity-to-switch-computers-in-effort-to-restore-operations/#comment-1060066 Fri, 05 Oct 2018 01:02:04 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=54001#comment-1060066 >highly interesting stuff!

https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/our-company/inc-businesses/electronic-systems/product-sites/space-products-and-processing/about-space-products-and-processing

BAE Systems Radiation Hardened Electronics for Space
2013
[https://youtu.be/wbXuycSNyRY]
3:09

]]> By: wayne https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/curiosity-to-switch-computers-in-effort-to-restore-operations/#comment-1060064 Fri, 05 Oct 2018 00:52:25 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=54001#comment-1060064 “The electronic brain controlling NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has far less horsepower than the microchips typically found in a modern smart phone….the RAD750 PowerPC microprocessor built into the rover’s redundant flight computers has one enormous advantage: It was engineered to be virtually impervious to high-energy cosmic rays that would quickly cripple an iPhone or laptop computer.”

“The radiation-hardened single-card computers, built by BAE Systems in Manassas, Va., are designed to withstand charged ions and protons in interplanetary space or on the surface of Mars that can physically damage integrated circuits or trigger so-called “bit flips” in which the logic of the computer can be temporarily, or even permanently, disrupted.”

“The rover is equipped with two computers, but only one is active at a time. Both are built around a radiation-hardened BAE RAD750 microchip operating at up to 200 megahertz. Each computer is equipped with 2 gigabytes of flash memory, 256 megabytes of random access memory and 256 kilobytes of erasable programmable read-only memory.”

“Vic Scuderi, BAE business manager for satellite electronics, said in an interview. “The ultimate goal is one upset is allowed in 15 years. An upset means an intervention from Earth — one ‘blue screen of death’ in 15 years. We typically have contracts that (specify) that.”

https://www.cnet.com/news/slow-but-rugged-curiositys-computer-was-built-for-mars/
(2012)

]]> By: Chris https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/curiosity-to-switch-computers-in-effort-to-restore-operations/#comment-1060058 Thu, 04 Oct 2018 18:55:37 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=54001#comment-1060058 BLame it on neutrinos from the center of the sun Bob.

]]> By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/curiosity-to-switch-computers-in-effort-to-restore-operations/#comment-1060047 Thu, 04 Oct 2018 15:12:35 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=54001#comment-1060047 In reply to Jollster.

Jollster: Oy. My brain is clearly not been well attached to my fingers in recent days. Post fixed.

]]> By: born01930 https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/curiosity-to-switch-computers-in-effort-to-restore-operations/#comment-1060044 Thu, 04 Oct 2018 14:25:03 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=54001#comment-1060044 BSJ…Which glitch? Curiosity’s or the Z-Mans? I think we can let him slide once or twice every solar cycle. ;-)

]]> By: BSJ https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/curiosity-to-switch-computers-in-effort-to-restore-operations/#comment-1060040 Thu, 04 Oct 2018 11:55:50 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=54001#comment-1060040 I’d bet cosmic radiation, and maybe even solar minimum played a role in the latest glitch.

]]> By: Jollster https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/curiosity-to-switch-computers-in-effort-to-restore-operations/#comment-1060039 Thu, 04 Oct 2018 08:47:42 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=54001#comment-1060039 Im sure you meant Mars Bob, not the moon

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