Saturday, 16 June 2007
As the International Space Station management rushes to reassure the public that a US$100 billion plus project is not going to drift off into space, the latest reports circulating through the world media suggest that the entire bank of failed Russian computers may have to be replaced. The entire episode highlights hopelessly inadequate operational computer systems and, as each day passes, management with its back to the wall issuing conflicting reports.
One minute we are being told that the computer power supplies need to be replaced; another minute suggestions emerge that the entire bank of computers needs to replaced. Then we are told that the space station crew will be able to stay aboard; if they have to leave, though, the space station will be able to survive without a crew for a few months.
Amid all the conflicting reports, incredible as it seems, no-one has been able to pinpoint exactly how and why the computers failed. The prevailing view is that a power surge, caused by bringing a new solar panel array online, was the underlying cause. If so, the question remains as to how it came to be that mission critical computer systems were not isolated from such a surge.
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