News Mars Probe Running Windows 98 Receives Software Up in Space

[Admin]

The European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter runs Windows 98, but is getting a major software up.

Mars Probe Running Windows 98 Receives Software Up in Space : Read more

 

[ButchLugrod]

The orbiter itself doesn't necessary run Windows 98. The ESA programmers interviewed in the article just mention that the original development environment for the mission software was Windows 98.

 

[gg83]

The rover can play Doom to keep itself busy

 

[mo_osk]

The orbiter itself doesn't necessary run Windows 98. The ESA programmers interviewed in the article just mention that the original development environment for the mission software was Windows 98.

I'm even be surprised that win98 was used in that context over windows nt.

I would expect that the probe is running of a some real time operating system.

And usually embedded system used in space or in some critical application use a bank of CPUs that all execute the same code and then check for discrepancy in the result. In order to avoid errors caused by cosmic ray.

 

[dehjomz]

Hopefully no Blue Screens of Death on the Red Planet.

 

[Eximo]

Yeah, that makes no sense. There isn't generally enough processing power on a space mission to run a desktop operating system.

I suspect that they just have to use an old system or VM to run the old tools that they can use to create the updates.

At my old job we had Windows CE development still ongoing for handheld computers that were designed in the early 2000s. Sometimes you just have to keep old stuff around.

 

[thx1138v2]

"...rampaging demon army..."

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WoM2bHfr48

 

[edzieba]

The article is frankly nonsense. Mars Express does not run Windows 98, and does not host a single processor capable of running x86 instructions let alone Windows!

Mars Express uses multiple Dynex MA31750 CPUs clustered in pairs onto a CDMUs (Command & Data Management Units), of where there are also a pair (for 4 total CPUs), all running the 1750A instruction set. Mars Express uses an RTOS rather than a regular desktop OS, very likely VxWorks (the project predates ESA's switching of most of their development to RTEMS).

 

[mac_angel]

it had a lot of Windows Defender updates to get caught up on.

 

[4freedomssake]

Who not just use 3.1 for the heck of it?

 

[egda23]

The article is frankly nonsense. Mars Express does not run Windows 98, and does not host a single processor capable of running x86 instructions let alone Windows!

Mars Express uses multiple Dynex MA31750 CPUs clustered in pairs onto a CDMUs (Command & Data Management Units), of where there are also a pair (for 4 total CPUs), all running the 1750A instruction set. Mars Express uses an RTOS rather than a regular desktop OS, very likely VxWorks (the project predates ESA's switching of most of their development to RTEMS).

OK, but this is much less interesting to discuss than ’was this an official Microsoft update or did they go to the grey market or even P2P’ 🆒🆒

 

[hotaru251]

thank god it runs win98.

if it was ran win7+ updates likely to break it <_<

 

[Co BIY]

Hopefully no Blue Screens of Death on the Red Planet.

Beat me to it!

There is a joke in here about the desperate search for water too.

 

[Eximo]

"What kind of operating system does it use?"

"It's Vista!"

"We're going to die!"

 

[vern72]

They tried to upgrade it to Windows 11 but it doesn't have a TPM so it's going to crash.

 

[egda23]

They tried to upgrade it to Windows 11 but it doesn't have a TPM so it's going to crash.

Why would you do that ? To play Valorant on it ??

 

[chemistu]

Happens a lot. I worked for a certain Airline company I probably shouldn't name, flying a fleet of supersonic airliner I probably shouldn't name either, that calibrated one of (un)said aircrafts flight computers with a BBC B Micro the original platform for Elite. Written in 1984.

 

[egda23]

Why not ? I was using a Sinclair ZX81 to analyse my research data at the same period

 

[dehjomz]

Beat me to it!

There is a joke in here about the desperate search for water too.

I had numerous blue screens on win 98 back in the day! but nothing nearly as atrocious as windows ME. Still odd that they went with win 98 and not Linux which can run on a toaster or a fridge.