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Shuttle Computers Find No End to 2006
Posted on November 7, 2006 @ 02:36:25 EST
Author Tariq Malik
One year might as well be an eternity for NASA’s space shuttles, which – it turns out – have no automatic reset once the calendar hits Jan. 1, 2007.
“The interesting thing about the shuttle computers and the ground computers that support the shuttle is that they were never envisioned to fly through a year-end changeover,†says NASA’s shuttle chief Wayne Hale here at the agency’s Johnson Space Center. “So the shuttle computers actually keep counting and they believe that it is Day 366 instead of Day 1 of the New Year.â€
Posted on November 7, 2006 @ 02:36:25 EST
Author Tariq Malik
One year might as well be an eternity for NASA’s space shuttles, which – it turns out – have no automatic reset once the calendar hits Jan. 1, 2007.
“The interesting thing about the shuttle computers and the ground computers that support the shuttle is that they were never envisioned to fly through a year-end changeover,†says NASA’s shuttle chief Wayne Hale here at the agency’s Johnson Space Center. “So the shuttle computers actually keep counting and they believe that it is Day 366 instead of Day 1 of the New Year.â€
NASA hopes to get its next space shuttle off the launch pad and back on the ground by the end of 2006 in order to avoid computer problems similar to those once ascribed to 'Y2K'. It is now considering moving the shuttle Discovery's planned lift-off ahead by one day, to 6 December.
The space shuttle's computer software is about 30 years old and does not recognise when the calendar year switches. On 1 January 2007, for example, it will think it is day 366 of 2006 – a problem NASA calls 'year-end rollover'.
To reset the time, the shuttle's main computers would have to be 'reinitialised', which would mean a period without navigation updates or vehicle control, a situation NASA obviously wants to avoid.
NASA had already moved the shuttle's target launch date from 14 to 7 December – in part to avert the year-end issue and in part to allow shuttle workers to rest over the holidays. Now, it is considering moving lift-off one day earlier, to 6 December, to give launch teams another chance to get the shuttle off the ground before the new year.
The space shuttle's computer software is about 30 years old and does not recognise when the calendar year switches. On 1 January 2007, for example, it will think it is day 366 of 2006 – a problem NASA calls 'year-end rollover'.
To reset the time, the shuttle's main computers would have to be 'reinitialised', which would mean a period without navigation updates or vehicle control, a situation NASA obviously wants to avoid.
NASA had already moved the shuttle's target launch date from 14 to 7 December – in part to avert the year-end issue and in part to allow shuttle workers to rest over the holidays. Now, it is considering moving lift-off one day earlier, to 6 December, to give launch teams another chance to get the shuttle off the ground before the new year.
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