Spacecraft That Think for Themselves

Commentary

NASA is testing a new computer chip that could give spacecraft the power to make their own decisions without phoning home for instructions. Quite understandable really when you realise that this could save a large phone bill. And there really is just so much time one can waste waiting on hold from Mars.

NASA’s High Performance Spaceflight Computing project is developing this processor because the current processors are elderly. While they have the ability to continue for years at a time without so much as an astronaut popping over to reboot them, their processing power is less than some of Earth’s computers.

A Chip That Could Exceed 500 Times the Power Currently Generated

Engineers are declaring that the chip could give 100 times the power of today’s spaceflight computers, and early testing has exceeded this—with 500 times the power being generated.

This is a huge development when one considers that communications between Earth and Mars is not instantaneous.

“The technology will enable autonomous spacecraft to use artificial intelligence to respond in real time to complex situations and environments where human input isn’t possible,” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology said in a press release. “It could also support future human missions to the Moon and Mars.”

There is No Genius Bar Just Past Jupiter

Smart phones already use this SoC (system on a chip), but the version NASA is working on will service much higher demands than selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower.

The chips need to function while suffering extreme temperatures or being shaken during launches and landings while being millions of kilometres away from the nearest repair shop. Note: there is not expected to be a Genius Bar just past Jupiter.

Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California have begun shock and performance tests on the processor.

“We are putting these new chips through the wringer while also evaluating their performance through a rigorous functional test campaign,” said Jim Butler project manager for NASA’s High Performance Space Computing project.

Spacecrafts have many challenges, and radiation is one of the largest because high-energy particles from the sun and other parts of the cosmos can create interference with electronics and thus cause computer errors.

At the moment, when this occurs, spacecraft shut down non-essential items while going into safe mode. This is the spacecraft equivalent of hiding under the doona until someone competent appears. Then it is the engineers on Earth who need to work out what has happened. Thus it is understandable that NASA wants future processors to be better at coping with problems.

Computer Says ‘No’

Testing began at JPL in February. This has included using simulations of planetary landings, which could create a moment when “computer says no” would be most unwelcome.

Sophisticated AI systems could be run onboard which would ensure that the spacecraft could notice if something had gone wrong and thus change course.

The technology is not just for spacecraft. NASA has said it might also be adapted for use in car manufacturing and in the aviation industry, meaning that a chip designed for deep space could end up telling your car what you are doing wrong.

And the possibilities beyond Earth are growing. The processor could be used in everything from satellites to astronaut habitats. This chip will make it possible for the next generation of spacecraft to travel further and even think for themselves. This could be a dangerous development in an employee, especially one who has just been fired several million kilometres from management.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.