SpaceX’s Dragon Spacecraft will carry a Hewlett Packard Enterprise supercomputer called the Spaceborne Computer into space.<\/b>
\nA supercomputer is about to make its way into space. On August 14, the Dragon Spacecraft from Elon Musk\u2019s high-flying SpaceX will be carrying some very precious cargo. It\u2019s a Hewlett Packard Enterprise supercomputer called the Spaceborne Computer that just may pave the way for further technology in space.
Historically, the harsh conditions of outer space have been tough on computers. Laptops have to be replaced every few months, and off-the-shelf computers have historically fared not so well once leaving Earth\u2019s surface. But the hope is that the supercomputer will do a bit better. After all, if scientists can\u2019 t figure out how to get this tech to work beyond Earth\u2019s orbit, it would be difficult for us to actually move beyond our planet in any permanent capacity.
The HPE Spaceborne Computer could be something of a solution. It was built with NASA\u2019s help, and is based upon HPE\u2019s high-density Apollo 40 servers. The hardware runs an unspecified version of Linux, and also employs a custom water-cooled enclosure that ought to keep the computer safe from the tough conditions of space, like radiation, solar flares, subatomic particles, and more.
Scientists hope that the Spaceborn Computer will manage to make it a full year \u2014 at least, that\u2019s the amount of time that the machine will be left in orbit. If HPE and NASA manage to prove that the supercomputer can operate smoothly for an extended timeframe in space, it could pave the way for missions to Mars, where having dependable tech is of the utmost importance.
\u201cA mission to Mars will require sophisticated on-board computing resources that are capable of extended periods of uptime, \u201d wrote Alain Andreoli, senior vice president and General Manager at Hewlett Packard\u2019s Data Center Infrastructure Group, in a blog post. \u201cTo meet these requirements, we need to improve technology\u2019s viability in space in order to better ensure mission success, \u201d Andreoli said. \u201cBy sending a supercomputer to space, HPE is taking the first step in that direction.\u201d
The SpaceX Dragon will launch at 12: 31 EST from Cape Canaveral, and you might even be able to watch the takeoff in person should you be in the area. Of course, if you\u2019 re unable to make the live viewing, you can check out SpaceX\u2019s YouTube channel instead.<\/p>\n

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Sentiment rank: 0.7<\/div>\n

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