by notorandit
4 subcomments
- The point is not running Windows or Outlook on a PC in space.
The point is that the Software was not sealed, downloading upgrades while in space, sending telemetry back to Microsoft (or to whoever else).
Those PC are like any other instrument onboard the spacecraft: it's status needs to be known and predictable by NASA.
Not to talk about the amount of unknown and unpredictable extra traffic caused by those PCs onto the "space internet links" which can easily clog any other communication.
And not to talk about smartphones.
This is actually rocket (and space) science, not the horse market fair!
by starkparker
2 subcomments
- https://www.businessinsider.com/artemis-astronauts-microsoft...
> After Wiseman flagged the issue, Mission Control said it could remotely access his system with permission.
> Soon after, a member of Mission Control said, "We wanted to let Reid know we are done remoting into his PCD 1." They added that the issue had been resolved and that the system would appear offline, as "expected."
> The personal computing device, or PCD, is how the crew accesses the internet during the flight and tracks its timeline, NASA said on the livestream. The device used on the mission is the MS Surface Pro, per an Artemis II factsheet.
The factsheet:
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20230017638/downloads/13...
> Used for PFCs (private family conference), PMCs (private medical communication/conference), office apps, DSLR imagery storage, viewing recorded stills/videos on camera controllers
by EvanAnderson
6 subcomments
- This talk about off-the-shelf hardware in space makes me wonder, given the clear line of sight, if it would be possible to detect their Wi-Fi access points' beacons from Earth. I'm not a "radio guy" and don't know if this would be impossible, simply on the basis of physics, due to the presumably low radiated power from the APs and the limitations of the size of typical antennas on the ground. (Obviously it's possible with the right equipment. We can communicate with the Voyager probes, but that's not with a "can-tenna" and an off-the-shelf Wi-Fi card...)
Edit: Anybody know how difficult it would be to keep an antenna pointed at them? I have no intuition for how fast their transit would be. I assume, since an orbit is around 90 minutes, pretty damned fast.
Edit 2: Some search-engining and back-of-the-envelope not-very-good-at-trig math says the longest possible transit would be about 5 minutes, moving though about 40 degrees of arc / minute. I'm probably completely talking out my ass, though.
It feels like it would be do-able to keep a directional antenna trained on a target moving at that speed.
by stackskipton
17 subcomments
- Everyone likes to point and laugh, sure, I'm getting a chuckle as well.
However, on more practical level, what are other options? Outlook, the desktop application works really well with local copies, is pretty low bandwidth and very familiar to end users.
IMAP with Thunderbird is probably only other option that would satisfy the requirements.
EDIT: Yes they need to get email in space. It's easy way to send documents back and forth.
by liendolucas
2 subcomments
- Is this actually true? What's next? A BSOD? I would have ever ever in my life bet that Microsoft software could be shipped in a spacecraft carrying human beings. Unbeliveable.
- guys former NASA Mission Control Web Tool Team and OCA here (Orbital Comms Adapter office which was a backroom position)
Crews have been using thinkpad laptops (personal laptops since the 2005) on the ISS and Shuttle. Artemis is likely an extension of this
Laptops go through a long space hardening and verification process. Windows and Outlook is the result of that
We used to do "Mail Syncs" which taking the outlook file and pushing it up to the crews laptop doing a comm window via TDRSS network -that how astronauts got their email
is this high tech - no -does it work and been done for years yes.
by nasretdinov
4 subcomments
- The poor technicians having to RDP with (what I imagine must be) a horrible latency. Although still might be better than some corporate environments lol
- I'll bet someone's trying to run the New Outlook and classic Outlook at the same time.
- Moon landing 1969: 4 KB RAM for the guidance computer is enough.
Moon landing 2026: Two instances of MS Outlook sort of started themselves on the guidance computer and we have no idea why.
by unethical_ban
2 subcomments
- I want to say something like "oh well, this is certainly a non-critical piece of software". Hopefully it's the convenient dashboard and there are other, more hardened consoles for fallback or something.
But in all seriousness, and without glibness or sarcasm: I cannot comprehend how there is any "unexpected" software running on that spacecraft, regardless of operating system.
EDIT*** For those who like me only watched the video and didn't read the thread: This is on a laptop that is non-critical, it is not a part of the spacecraft. Whew. Now I'm sad that one of the Linux distros didn't try to pitch themselves to the astronauts for a sponsorship... Would have been especially on brand for Pop_OS.
by jmacklin308
3 subcomments
- We migrated earlier this year and had a similar problem. Outlook (classic) works differently than the OWA version. They keep the classic version so people don't spontaneously throw a chair out a window. It's being phased out slowly.
by cyberlimerence
4 subcomments
- Even having one instance running should have been immediate whole of NASA five fire alarm type of situation.
- This situation reminds me of that one scene where a computer starts automatically updating, and the manager screams "F*CK MICROSOFT"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zpCOYkdvTQ
- The two Outlook thing happens all the time at work.
It's silly but never causes me issues, I just close the second one. Haven't ever figured out why it happens.
Did the Artemis crew any side effects / problems tied to Outlook?
- Please imagine the luxury of being SO FAR AWAY from all the crap happening on our planet right now, only to be spoiled by some lousy marketing emails from Microslop hawking their latest Copilot incursion.
by PretzelPirate
2 subcomments
- I don't understand the title.
It doesn't seem like they are trying to figure out why two copies of outlook are installed, they're trying to figure out why neither is giving them access to their email.
- This is the modern version of the slave reminding the Roman emperor that he is mortal:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4pywzk/did_r...
- Misleading.
Sounds like "computer driving Artemis spacecraft" while is is realy "some computer onboard Artemis spacecraft".
Very big difference.
- Apollo's computer: Ran in 2 KiB memory! Miniaturized design before microprocessors became widely available! Rope memory for the ROM hand-woven by weaver ladies! Multitasking operating system kernel! Margaret Hamilton coined the term, and practice, of "software engineering" to develop the software for it! Houston had to debug it from the ground!
Artemis's computer: [theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm plays]
- Running Windows in outer space takes some pretty big balls. Gives me a cold sweat just thinking about it.
- Why is anyone still running Windows
- Oh ya I remember how some computer pulled a windows update over a satellite connection during a research flight (aircraft). That was super expensive, wow. Now Microsoft servers are banned at the outgoing point since you couldn’t reliably stop it the computer itself and new teams with new computers come in.
by FerretFred
0 subcomment
- Someone, somewhere has an unwatched phone waiting for an authorisation code response...
by KellyCriterion
0 subcomment
- Maybe there are just missing the latest Service Pack Update with Copilot integration on their machines? :-D
- Maybe for emails and calendars, wouldn't want them to arrive and miss the appointment.
- Taking ANY Microsoft products with you to space is proper Russian roulette, I mean, what could go wrong?
- Wasn’t it Bill Gates’ dream that every coffee machine should run Windows? I guess he’s got his wish. Also, redundancy: Imagine going into space and then have no email! Can’t let that happen.
by cultofmetatron
1 subcomments
- with all that money, they could have selected or designed a power efficient arm soc and installed a custom linux that was power efficient and built for stability. It would have been a net positive for everyone in FOSS.
Instead they slapped some winshit together and told the astronauts to deal with it...
at least they aren't manually shitting into bags for this mission.
- The astronaut's quote needs to be a billboard ad.. "I also see I have 2 instances of Outlook, and neither of those are working".
by 1dontnkow_
0 subcomment
- Due to the immense resources NASA has why would they ever deploy this bloated software on spaceships? Wouldnt it make more sense to fork some open source project and slim it down and adapt it perfectly to their needs?
by nickandbro
2 subcomments
- Good thing they didn’t bring copilot with them
- Every car has more reliable software onboard.
- Bashing on MS products and on ReactJS (apparently used by spacex UIs) is a common pastime here and I'm guilty of it myself.
But here we're talking about actual space rockets flying to space with humans in them.
My expectation would be that something like https://tigerstyle.dev/ would be followed or the NASA rules linked from there https://spinroot.com/gerard/pdf/P10.pdf
- I didn't expect they are running Windows up there.
Shouldn't be specialized and curated ... smthing else?
by giancarlostoro
0 subcomment
- One's the "Metro" instance or whatever its called, the other is probably Win32.
by PeterStuer
0 subcomment
- The real shocker is why would this craft spend energy on a Windows machine? I can honestly not think of a single sensible thing.
by fuzzfactor
1 subcomments
- From the comments:
Andy Meyers
@andymeyers10.bsky.social
· 3h
I said “launch window”, not “Launch Windows”!
- They have also been having audio issues...that are very very VERYY reminiscent of Microsoft audio driver issues I run into all the time while gaming...
by lwansbrough
0 subcomment
- May need triple redundancy for MS Outlook for the next mission.
- In space no one can hear you blue screen
- Well, I wasn't that worried for the astronauts before, but now that I know they're running windows, I'm not so sure.
- At least it's no discord or ms teams.
- Using Windows in space? What?
by workfromspace
1 subcomments
- OMG, this almost became real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zpCOYkdvTQ
("Fuck Microsoft" scene from the Netflix TV Series: Space Force)
- NNCP would have more sense there.
by bytesandbits
2 subcomments
- why is a mail client needed in an onboard space computer at all?
- Hmm redundecy?
- Microslorbit
- For those nostalgic for different times https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx7Lfh5SKUQ
- Redundancy is a thing in aerospace engineering.
by hsbauauvhabzb
0 subcomment
- Microslop in space
- It's insane to me that microsoft licensing for large companies and mission-critical systems operators doesn't include a stripped down version of windows that really just provides the NT kernel and window system. Why on earth is MS telemetry running in space LOL
by mememememememo
0 subcomment
- Enshittification has reached space. Woohoo! We did it. Just use the web version! Love to know how how the web version loads with a couple of seconds network latency.
- Lmao why is it running Windows at all...
- "Houston, we've got two problems"
- Why on God's green earth is Windows running on the Artemis spaceship?
by rationalist
0 subcomment
- computer virus
noun
A program which can covertly transmit itself between computers via networks (especially the Internet) or removable storage such as CDs, USB drives, floppy disks, etc., often causing damage to systems and data.
A software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer.
by scottburgess33
0 subcomment
- [dead]
by Chihuahua0633
0 subcomment
- Did they consider scrapping the humans, and just installing co-pilot?
heh .. heh.. /s
by rich_sasha
2 subcomments
- [flagged]
by Rooster61
3 subcomments
- [flagged]
- There was a literal meme in spaceforce about this. Have we learnt nothing ?
Microslop will now troll people outside of the Earth, a great achievement for them.
So does this mean they now also have... 2 Copilots... ? Terrible joke.
- Why in the name of all that's holy would you use a Microsoft product on a mission like this? Just about the only thing you can trust about MS is that their software is buggy.
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