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HPE "Supercomputer" on the ISS Survives for 340 Days and Counting

posted by mrpg on Friday July 27 2018, @10:22PM   Printer-friendly
from the there's-no-up(time)-in-space dept.

takyon writes:

HPE supercomputer is still crunching numbers in space after 340 days

HPE's mini supercomputer launched into space last year has survived the harsh conditions of zero gravity and radiation for almost a year. The Spaceborne Computer isn't the greatest supercomputer and has a performance of one teraflop, runs on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and is built out of two HPE Apollo Intel x86 servers with a 56Gbps interconnect.

NASA wanted to see if a computer would last for a year - roughly the time it takes to reach Mars - inside the International Space Station (ISS). So, HPE offered to tuck its Spaceborne Computer aboard SpaceX's CRS-12 rocket and send it into the abyss. "It has now been in space for 340 days", said Mark Fernandez, America's HPC technology officer at HPE and co-principal of the experiment, during a panel talk at the ISS Research & Development Conference on Wednesday in San Francisco.

[...] The machine hasn't been radiation hardened, and relies on a few software tricks to stop it from corrupting, something Fernandez calls "autonomous self-care". Continuous health checks helps keep the computer in check, and when it detects any potential hardware failures, it runs at a slower pace or enters "idle mode", where it powers down.

Previously: HPE Supercomputer to be Sent to the ISS

Related: Rodent Research-9 Experiments Sent to the ISS

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by bob_super on Friday July 27 2018, @11:09PM (2 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday July 27 2018, @11:09PM (#713871)

    The video card is located below the processor in the ATX configuration, because gravity helps the signals get there quicker, resulting in faster frame rates. Some people have recommended putting your tower next to or above your display to help the pictures refresh faster, too.
    None of this work in Zero-G, and don't get me started on the mouse pad floating away, and the crumbs and coffee not landing properly in the butterfly keyboard.

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  • (Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Friday July 27 2018, @11:13PM

    by opinionated_science (4031) on Friday July 27 2018, @11:13PM (#713872)

    i modded you funny. "because gravity helps the signals get there quicker, resulting in faster frame rates. " LOL

    Found the marketing exec ;-)

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 28 2018, @01:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 28 2018, @01:31PM (#713982)

    but what you're saying only works if you have gold connectors and monster cables, otherwise everything's a drag.