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After spending a year and a half on the International Space Station, Hewlett Packard Enterprise's experimental supercomputer is back on Earth – and the company is about to do an autopsy on the machine. In the end, HPE wants to know how much the machine is in orbit. In this way, the company can potentially build supercomputers for missions in the far space to the Moon and Mars.
HPE had a clear goal for this experiment, known as a space computer: could an ordinary commercial supercomputer made for use on Earth work the same way in space? A supercomputer can be a valuable asset on a spacecraft, but the space environment can also be a ruthless place for the machines. Outside the thick protective atmosphere of Earth, the equipment is exposed to high levels of radiation from cosmic rays and particles of the Sun in deep space. ISS machines may also experience power and temperature fluctuations that can damage electronic components.
Due to these extreme environmental conditions, computers and other electronic devices intended for the space are often equipped with additional protective equipment. But this route can be expensive and time consuming. That is why HPE instead decided to reinforce the Spaceborne computer with software. The supercomputer is equipped with software capable of detecting if the various parameters of the machine – such as its power supply, its temperature, its voltage, etc. – come out of the limits of normal. Then, the computer takes the necessary precautions, such as stopping, to avoid catastrophic damage. "There were times when we were not able to operate and we said," Okay, I would prefer that you do not operate for a short time, rather than d & # 39; Fail, and be destroyed, "said Mark Fernandez, senior official. High Performance Computing Technology Leader at HPE The edge. "And then, when we come back online, we can continue our science."
Originally launched on the ISS in August 2017, HPE was aimed primarily at verifying a number of standards for the embedded computer in the space while it was in the air. Space, to see if all its components were working properly. And Fernandez says that goal has been achieved. "We blown away all the opponents," he says. "Everyone in the community is really impressed by the fact that we have achieved our goals over the course of a year," he said. However, some schedule changes on the ISS have forced the supercomputer to stay longer than expected on the station, allowing HPE to push the limits of its capabilities. During his extended stay, the computer was able to run a program for NASA Langley, which was testing the same software that is used by a spacecraft for guidance and navigation when it enters the Earth's atmosphere and descends to the surface.
The space computer returned to Earth on Monday aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule. Now, a boat carries this spaceship and all its contents on the coast. The supercomputer will be the last thing removed from the Dragon on his return and HPE will receive it on July 8 in Houston, Texas. There, the company will analyze the computer and note down all the components that have failed and their age. "Because they've been in space for a year, do they look like a year away from their Earthbound counterparts? Or do they look to be older? Says Fernandez.
Based on what engineers have found, HPE will use this information for the next iteration of the space computer. Fernandez said the company had not told anyone about the use of the supercomputer in actual missions, but he hoped that HPE could incorporate the technology in a place where it could be a viable tool in the future. Being able to use software and engrave real-time numbers on a supercomputer will be particularly useful when astronauts move away from the Earth, when communication with ground control can be extremely delayed. And if a supercomputer does not need to be equipped with a lot of heavy equipment, it is quite possible to take one on the Moon or on Mars. "All the experiments you are designing today in an Earthbound lab are likely to use relatively new computer systems," Fernandez said. "And that's what we want to be able to take with us on these missions to Mars."
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