Hardware Analysis - Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

john albrich — 2008-05-11T10:25:33-05:00

Gerritt said:

John,
As I mentioned, for very secure, ongoing computational processes, I think they should have stuck with OS/2, vs MS-DOS....

I think things got side-tracked a bit when someone mentioned software used by NASA. The recovered drive was NOT from a computer used by the Shuttle. It was used in one of the self-sufficient, totally isolated from the shuttle, scientific modules.

While many of the science experiment modules are designed by companies, the military, and other governments, some of those experiments are designed by high-school and college students. I've even read of one designed by (with help) a grade-school group. That's what I was addressing.

From the referenced CNN article:
During Columbia's fateful mission, the drive had been used to store data from a scientific experiment on the properties of liquid xenon.

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Gerritt — 2008-05-11T06:51:37-05:00

John,
As I mentioned, for very secure, ongoing computational processes, I think they should have stuck with OS/2, vs MS-DOS.
Now that both are capable of operating in CLI mode, there could be some confusion.
Most ATMs run off of a OS/2 derivitave, at least in the US and Western Europe.
Even AIX and Linux have become bloated....the old, slow, reliable standard is most likely on imbedded government and financial systems.

Gerritt

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

john albrich — 2008-05-10T20:54:44-05:00

They were likely using DOS as it is considerably more reliable and compact than Windows. For single task devices, such as instrumentation, DOS would be an excellent choice.

In fact, I would imagine that a lot of the science experiment modules on the shuttle use simple micro-controllers running embedded code. A package running DOS would likely be much more complex than most of the science modules on the shuttle.

Remember, the individual science modules (which the shuttle carried quite a few on that trip, as I recall) do NOT have to use NASA approved software. In fact, they must be 100% self-contained, including power.

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Gerritt — 2008-05-10T09:07:59-05:00

Super,
You're absolutely correct. And do you know what it takes to support 1960s technology now a days? $$$$$$$$. Why do you think it cost so much?

Gerritt

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Super XP — 2008-05-10T05:44:59-05:00

It looks like NASA was using 1960 technology for this shuttle.

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

McFly — 2008-05-10T04:04:45-05:00

Uh oh, they're going to start using Windows 98 soon. ^_^

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Sean Costello — 2008-05-10T02:58:46-05:00

i made it lol, i know its not ferret just being a smart ass

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Gerritt — 2008-05-10T02:26:40-05:00

FERRITE, not FERRET!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_core_memory
Where'd you find that picture.....hillarious!

Gerritt

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Sean Costello — 2008-05-10T02:17:23-05:00

Gerritt said:

(actual wire wrapped ferrite cores).

s**t no wonder why it failed they used wire wrapped ferrite cores:
http://i30.tinypic.com/2a5wzgw.jpg

Damn you NASA.

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Gerritt — 2008-05-10T01:40:19-05:00

I'm suprised it was DOS, I'd have thought OS2 v2.
It takes on average about 10 years for anything to be certified for manned space vehicals.
So circia 1993 sounds about right.
When the first shuttle launched in 1981 I had more computing power on my desk at home than it carried. Remember the entire Apollo program vehicles were designed using slide rules and the onboard "computers" used core memory (actual wire wrapped ferrite cores).

Gerritt

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

MrBungle — 2008-05-10T01:23:31-05:00

well why use a cray supercomputer for a wrist watch if you don't need to?

Re: Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

Sean Costello — 2008-05-10T01:01:57-05:00

lol wtf did they just take a PC from 1993 and use it to controll a space ship?

Data from HDD recovered from Columbia shuttle disaster

McFly — 2008-05-09T22:50:26-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/05/09/columbia.data.ap/index.html
However, at the core of the drive, the spinning metal platters that actually store data were not warped. They had been gouged and pitted, but the 340-megabyte drive was only half full, and the damage happened where data had not been written.

Edwards attributes that to a lucky twist: The computer was running an ancient operating system, DOS, which does not scatter data all over drives, as other approaches do.

I'm not sure what is more disturbing, that NASA was using 340MB drives in 2003 ... or that they were running DOS.