Text 9201, 57 rader
Skriven 2006-01-15 09:00:18 av Mike '/m' (1:379/45)
Ärende: NASA's Mars rovers blaze path for open source in space
==============================================================
From: Mike '/m' <mike@barkto.com>


http://software.newsforge.com/software/05/12/28/1815254.shtml?tid=132

===
The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, controlled by ground systems that were
among NASA's heaviest use of open source to date when launched in 2003, are
still working on the Red Planet, long after their mission was slated to end.

After working nearly two years and traveling more than four kilometers
-- compared to a scheduled mission of only three months and 600 meters
-- the rovers have continued to extend beyond the space agency's
original aspirations for them. The rovers' tracks are also a testament to open
source, laying the groundwork for even more open source use in the US space
agency's next generation of Martian movers, Jet Propulsion Laboratory senior
computer scientist Jeff Norris told NewsForge.

"We've just gotten to a point that it's so far beyond its warranty, every day
is amazing," Norris said of Spirit and Opportunity.

Norris, who oversaw development of the open source software components that
help NASA engineers communicate with and command the rovers, said the
performance of the open source-based control systems are pushing broader open
source use and knowledge sharing at the agency.

"It's emboldened, or increased, our approach to use open source," he said.


Meters on Mars go a long way for open source on Earth

Norris indicated the rovers have blown away the previous Martian mileage record
holder Sojourner, which logged 50 meters on the Red Planet.

"The whole point [of Spirit and Opportunity] was to drive beyond the horizon,
but now it's driven beyond the horizon after that, and beyond the horizon after
that."

Still, there is plenty more on Mars to see, Norris said, pointing out that the
rovers have not even driven the equivalent of Pasadena to nearby Burbank.

Yet the miles the rovers have traveled for open source cannot be
underestimated, and Norris said there is no doubt the positive performance of
the mission's open source software components is helping drive further use of
FOSS.

"The truth of it is, the components have performed remarkably well," he said,
adding there was initial skepticism over the perceived ever-changing nature of
open source software projects. "We haven't tweaked the software we use to
control the rovers," he said. "We found it was quite stable and didn't need
that attention."...
===

 /m

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5
 * Origin: Barktopia BBS Site http://HarborWebs.com:8081 (1:379/45)