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> How many radiation hardened CPUs are in use today? Whoosh. A radiation hardened PowerPC 750 operates no differently from a PowerPC 750 you'd find on Ebay. Yo

> How many radiation hardened CPUs are in use today? Whoosh. A radiation hardened PowerPC 750 operates no differently from a PowerPC 750 you'd find on Ebay. You are effectively saying "Yeah, but how many commercial temperature range processors are in use today?!" It is weird, because it is such a silly distinction to point to that you have to actually examine the manufacturer's packaging datasheet to spot the difference. But at the same time you have no problem conflating every processor using IP licensed by Arm Ltd as the same thing... they have at least 20 distinct architectures and it doesn't look like compatibility was ever much of a priority. The larger point being that the powerpc ISA is infinitely more coherent than the fractured mess Arm has going on, which is very likely the product of designers aligning the platform with disposable electronics. Do you really want to see that trend go beyond crappy cellphones designed to be thrown out every other year? > ...one of the goals of Ingenuity was to see if a COTS processor could be used on Mars. That has been said - but has never been explained why... because it is such a thoroughly covered concern that has had a huge amount of money spent on developing industry standards and commissioning incredibly comprehensive studies. So this justification is either an oversimplification to the point of being lie, or it is an indictment on their own work (and that of many others) with regard to the effects of radiation on electronic. Does Mars have some new kind of radiation that our highly controlled labs can't replicate? Of course not, it is a nonsensically wasteful way to test our understanding of radiation - at best. > The fact that it's survived this long is really encouraging. lol, the processor has no way of self diagnosing internal faults caused by ionizing radiation. That would be like celebrating your lack of cancer while on a smoke break at your job in an asbestos factory - and at the same time bragging about never getting medical checkups.

bobsmooth 5y ago
>A radiation hardened PowerPC 750 operates no differently from a PowerPC 750 you'd find on Ebay. The RAD750 costs $200k. I doubt the ARM processor in Ingenuity costs that much. >Do you really want to see that trend go beyond crappy cellphones designed to be thrown out every other year? I want cheaper rovers and probes, this is NASA's test for viability >with regard to the effects of radiation on electronic. You can test shit in the lab all day but eventually you have to test in the field. >Does Mars have some new kind of radiation that our highly controlled labs can't replicate? Do we know exactly the levels of radiation on the surface? >Of course not, it is a nonsensically wasteful way to test our understanding of radiation - at best. It's a live, in the field test of off-the-shelf components in space craft on a bonus mission unrelated to the main rover. What would be a sensically nonwasteful test of COSTS processors on Mars be? >the processor has no way of self diagnosing internal faults caused by ionizing radiation The helicopter flies and takes pictures. It's had 12 flights as of this comment. When it stops working, we'll know how long regular processors can last.

bobsmooth 5y ago

>A radiation hardened PowerPC 750 operates no differently from a PowerPC 750 you'd find on Ebay. The RAD750 costs $200k. I doubt the ARM processor in Ingenuity costs that much. >Do you really want to see that trend go beyond crappy cellphones designed to be thrown out every other year? I want cheaper rovers and probes, this is NASA's test for viability >with regard to the effects of radiation on electronic. You can test shit in the lab all day but eventually you have to test in the field. >Does Mars have some new kind of radiation that our highly controlled labs can't replicate? Do we know exactly the levels of radiation on the surface? >Of course not, it is a nonsensically wasteful way to test our understanding of radiation - at best. It's a live, in the field test of off-the-shelf components in space craft on a bonus mission unrelated to the main rover. What would be a sensically nonwasteful test of COSTS processors on Mars be? >the processor has no way of self diagnosing internal faults caused by ionizing radiation The helicopter flies and takes pictures. It's had 12 flights as of this comment. When it stops working, we'll know how long regular processors can last.