
How your phone is more powerful than ORION - dnetesn
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2867009/How-phone-powerful-ORION-Computer-Nasa-s-Mars-spacecraft-processor-2003-Apple-iBook-G3.html
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DieBuche
Interesting that the dailymail looks and reads like the onion only it pretends
to be for real:

 _The chips do not error check each other but instead perform exactly the same
tasks, so that they can check the other for errors._

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sdeyerle
Also, according to the article there is only double redundancy. I thought
critical systems like this always employed triple redundancy. It doesn't help
too much if you detect a fault during launch and have to reboot both
systems...

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api
TL;DR: Orion uses rad-hardened chips, which are usually very slow compared
with commodity hardware. But it also runs super-optimized and highly
specialized code.

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jimktrains2
Also, people, I feel, get this impression that because Windows 8 takes forever
to load and then Word takes an eternity, that they _need_ that speed. No, you
need less bloated programs, and (I would seriously hope) that
missile/rocket/spacecraft guidance and life support computers are not running
bloated software!

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notjustanymike
Hopefully ORION has a better battery life than my phone

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nextw33k
Firstly I am surprised the Daily Mail created this piece, their readers care
more about spending money on the NHS rather than space.

Secondly I was a little puzzled but the statement that Orion could be used to
send people to Mars. If that were true then does that mean we are leaving them
there to die?

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driverdan
Daily Mail is a rag. I wouldn't believe anything they publish. I'm surprised
it isn't blocked.

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hereonbusiness
How there will be more computing power dedicated to ORION while on mission
than the daily mail can imagine.

