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KA9LCF > NEWS 25.08.12 00:38l 30 Lines 1176 Bytes #999 (0) @ ALLIN
BID : 38234-KA9LCF
Read: GUEST
Subj: ARN: Radio Through Space
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Sent: 120824/2117Z 38234@KA9LCF.#NEIN.IN.USA.NOAM [169312]FBB7.01.35 alpha $:38
From: KA9LCF@KA9LCF.#NEIN.IN.USA.NOAM
To : NEWS@ALLIN
RADIO THROUGH SPACE: MARS ROVER GETS SOFTWARE UPDATE
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory at JPL team has sent a
software update to the Curiosity Rover on Mars, more than
160 million miles away. According to Venturebeat dot com,
the software had to be updated because Curiosity needed
different directions to drive around on Mars than it did to
land on the planet's surface.
The computer hardware in the Curiosity Rover is powered by a
pair of computers built by BAE Systems. These RAD750
computers use a 10-year-old IBM PowerPC microprocessor
running at a relatively slow 132 megahertz. These machines
also have only 120 megabytes of random access memory, but
are built to withstand wild temperature swings, radiation,
and physical shaking.
The drawback is that the computers on the robot vehicle did
not have enough memory for both the landing and its surface
missions. So NASA had to swap out the software over four
days of communication through the void of space. It took so
long because it takes about 14 minutes to send the signal to
the rover and another 14 minutes to get a response back.
(Venturebeat.com)
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