Right now, NASA uses five general-purpose computers in its Space Shuttle program.
Each one is an IBM AP-101 central processing unit (CPU) coupled with a custom-built
input/output processor (IOP). The AP-101 has the same type of registers and architecture
used in the IBM System 360 and throughout the 4Pi series29. As of November 2019, it is ranked
the 32nd most powerful computer on the TOP500 list with a LINPACK rating of 5.95 petaflops (5.95 quadrillion
floating point operations per second) and a peak performance of 7.09 petaflops from its most recent
hardware upgrade.
NASA's newest supercomputer at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, has garnered the number
three spot on the Top500 list of the world's most powerful computers. One of the most powerful general-purpose
supercomputers ever built, known as Pleiades, also features in the world's largest InfiniBand® interconnect network. In spring 2013,
engineers installed a D-Wave Two™ quantum computer in the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility at NASA's Ames Research Center.
The system — about the size of a garden storage shed — is housed inside a cryogenics system within a 10-square-meter shielded room.
The engineers themselves use ThinkPad, it is the only laptop certified for use on the Space ThinkPads and have been used aboard the International
Space Station since 1998. ThinkPads have been on every NASA Shuttle space flight since 1995, when the ThinkPad 755 blasted off with the crew.
Moreover, the NASA internet speed that runs at approximately 91 Gigabits per second; this is about 13,000 times faster
than the current speed found in a typical home. Such speed is practically impossible to be availble for use in the home anytime within the near future.
NASA And Robots Today
NASA uses robots in many different ways. NASA uses Robotic arms on spacecraft to move large objects in space.
Robotic spacecraft also visits other planets such as Mars. Robotic airplanes are sometimes flown without a pilot aboard.
The "Canadarm" robotic arm is used on space shuttles, this can be used for many jobs. The International Space Station has the larger Canadarm2.
The Canadarm can release or recover satellites. Astronauts have used it to grab the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA is currently conducting a study on new types of robots. These will work with people and help them. Robots help NASA explore
the solar system and the universe. Spacecrafts that explore other worlds, like the moon or Mars, are all robotics.
These robots include rovers and landers on the surface of other planets. The Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity
are examples of this kind of robot. Sending a robot to space is also much cheaper than sending a human because
Robots do not need to eat or sleep or go to the bathroom. They can survive in space for many years and can be
left out there — no need for a return trip!
Also, robots can do lots of things that humans can't.
Robots already do significant work on the International Space Station. While there are countless sensors
and gadgets that help astronauts, robo-astronauts work alongside their human counterparts,
completing tasks and making their jobs easier.
Advantages of Robots
They increase production
They are more accurate than humans
They make fewer mistakes
They reduce wastage
They are more reliable than humans
They can work constantly for 24 hours
They are cheap and save a lot of money
They don't complain
Disadvantages of Robots
Although robots can be superior to humans in some ways,
they are less dexterous than humans, they don't have such powerful brains,
and cannot compete with a human's ability to understand what they can see.
Most robots today are used to do repetitive actions or considered
too dangerous for humans. Robots are now used in medicine, for military tactics,
for finding objects underwater and to explore other planets. Overall, robots are a great
tool to help mankind.
