NASA Mars Perseverance Rover Uses Same PowerPC Chipset Found in 1998 G3 iMac

[ArtOfWarfare]

Because they need to be safe, safe, safe. Everything needs to be known about it. They need to be proven tools. And honestly, processing power isn’t that important, most processors on board will handle one or two specific tasks.

This is just total nonsense from Old Space.

SpaceX has demonstrated that the correct way isn’t to get crazy expensive parts, but to just build several from commodity parts (at a lower price for all of them than the price of building one from commodity parts) and test them while iterating on the design in rapid succession.

This is how cars were built early on. It’s how the Wright brothers worked. It’s how actual progress gets made.

Starting with 30 year old parts and then taking over a decade to run a test rarely leads to a successful conclusion. See, for example, Boeing Starliner vs SpaceX’s Dragon, or SpaceX’s Starship vs the SLS.

 

[Bug-Creator]

Old CPUs use bigger transistors, higher voltage and more current making far less likely of a bit getting flipped by radiaton.

As such I doubt that a 2040 space mission would use a current CPU for mission critical stuff and instead will be still stuck with 90s tech.

 

[sean02]

Why so old processor?

Probably so it won’t get hacked or old chip are proven to work or something ignore the hacked part lol the military uses old software so they don’t get hacked

 

[jeffkoontz]

NASA been waiting longer than you for the big iMac refresh.

 

[citysnaps]

This is just total nonsense from Old Space.

SpaceX has demonstrated that the correct way isn’t to get crazy expensive parts, but to just build several from commodity parts (at a lower price for all of them than the price of building one from commodity parts) and test them while iterating on the design in rapid succession.

This is how cars were built early on. It’s how the Wright brothers worked. It’s how actual progress gets made.

Starting with 30 year old parts and then taking over a decade to run a test rarely leads to a successful conclusion. See, for example, Boeing Starliner vs SpaceX’s Dragon, or SpaceX’s Starship vs the SLS.

Space X's Starlink internet satellite system has the luxury of operating in low earth orbit, where threats from solar/cosmic radiation are relatively low. Also, their satellites and system rely on redundancy and are relatively inexpensive as is their cost to launch, means that their expected lifetime does not have to be as long as other space-based systems.

 

[wfulle]

Old CPUs use bigger transistors, higher voltage and more current making far less likely of a bit getting flipped by radiaton.

As such I doubt that a 2040 space mission would use a current CPU for mission critical stuff and instead will be still stuck with 90s tech.

Are you telling me that a rocket lake CPU is not going to be used on a rocket. Come on Intel you can do better.

 

[yaxomoxay]

This is just total nonsense from Old Space.

SpaceX has demonstrated that the correct way isn’t to get crazy expensive parts, but to just build several from commodity parts (at a lower price for all of them than the price of building one from commodity parts) and test them while iterating on the design in rapid succession.

This is how cars were built early on. It’s how the Wright brothers worked. It’s how actual progress gets made.

Starting with 30 year old parts and then taking over a decade to run a test rarely leads to a successful conclusion. See, for example, Boeing Starliner vs SpaceX’s Dragon, or SpaceX’s Starship vs the SLS.

Oh please, Let’s not pretend that SpaceX is the savior and all-time breaker of records. I love them, don’t get me wrong, and I love the optimization they’re bringing to the aerospace industry, but their missions are relatively simple missions in low orbit. Go up, dock, go down. Stuff that NASA has been doing for what, 50 or 60 years?
We all know that the true problem in the space race is propulsion and ECS, certainly not computing.

 

[wfulle]

Global security issue, we don't want aliens to know that we possess 4k pr0n tech.

Dude shh that is the classified reason

 

[BvizioN]

2040 Rover will be powered by M1 Apple silicone

 

[testcard]

Those Martians love retro.

 

[garylapointe]

The main chipset is the same; however, there are differences between the version of the processor shipped in a consumer computer and the one exploring space. The processor in the rover is built to withstand temperatures between -67 and 257 degrees Fahrenheit (−55 and 125 degrees Celsius) and comes with an added $200,000 price tag.

So not the same chip. It's not $200k because it's solid gold, it's a bit different...

I believe they used hardened PPC chips in the last few missions (not sure if it was the 750).

 

[mi7chy]

It's a radiation hardened RAD750.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAD750

Here's a list of other CPUs used on spacecrafts.

http://www.cpushack.com/space-craft-cpu.html

 

[Captain Trips]

Space X's Starlink internet satellite system has the luxury of operating in low earth orbit, where threats from solar/cosmic radiation are relatively low. Also, their satellites and system rely on redundancy and are relatively inexpensive as is their cost to launch, means that their expected lifetime does not have to be as long as other space-based systems.

And it is reasonable / realistic to be able to send astronauts up to repair an Earth-orbiting satellite. Not so easy to send someone to fix a rover or satellite at Mars.

 

[Captain Trips]

Are you telling me that a rocket lake CPU is not going to be used on a rocket. Come on Intel you can do better.

They tried, but the rocket went off course and landed in a lake... 🚀

 

[wfulle]

They tried, but the rocket went off course and landed in a lake... 🚀

Well did I say the rocket had to work?
Or maybe it was supposed to land in a lake just the AI couldn’t pick the right one.

 

[sirdir]

SpaceX speed to take a different approach.

 

[progx]

2040 Rover will be powered by M1 Apple silicone

Well... I doubt Apple will share their processor with NASA. However, the PowerPC 750 is a RISC based processor, so ARM or RISC-V would probably be the next step.

Could be a Raspberry Pi!

 

[Captain Trips]

I can see it now, Intel will release some ads / commercials about how much better space exploration will be using Intel inside instead of those crappy old PowerPC processors.

 

[il_teo77]

Why so old processor?

Transistor density is also a factor. The denser, the more problems you get from radiation (as someone already pointed out, whether in space (journey) nor on Mars, there is a magnetic field shielding electronics from radiation. So, a lesser dense transistor resists more. I guess that density also plays a role in temperature management. Almost 180 degrees Celsius between minimum and maximum operational temperature sure put a lot of stress on the metal. I wonder how thermal management works for a CPU working at above 100 Celsius. Anyway. It would be interesting to have more information about the CPU.

I wonder if the interface runs on Aqua 😂

 

[Samuel Sosa]

$200k for a processor is excessive but this is a modified chip. The architecture is based off a power Power PC but it’s not a power PC. name any computer component that can withstand between -67 and 257 degrees Fahrenheit (−55 and 125 degrees Celsius). That 200k was the cost for R&D to built it. That’s just my guess

 

[wfulle]

I can see it now, Intel will release some ads / commercials about how much better space exploration will be using Intel inside instead of those crappy old PowerPC processors.

Also the whole JPL control room was full of macs so once they get upgrades bye bye intel lol

 

[yaxomoxay]

$200k for a processor is excessive but this is a modified chip.

Production cost for Perseverance was $2,200,000,000 so I'd say it's a steal 😛

 

[Isengardtom]

RIP intel

 

[Captain Trips]

Production cost for Perseverance was $2,200,000,000 so I'd say it's a steal 😛

And if corners are cut (and not just on the processor) then we end up with a non-functioning rover on Mars.

 

[yaxomoxay]

And if corners are cut (and not just on the processor) then we end up with a non-functioning rover on Mars.

NASA learned this lesson the hard way, quite a few times.