Embedded Technology Journal Update

a techfocus media publication :: June 19, 2007 :: volume VII, no. 11

FROM THE EDITOR

This week, we launch Linux into orbit with Wind River and Honeywell Aerospace. What are the implications of open-source software in space? Does the lack of gravity bring increased gravity to the software deployment process? Our latest feature looks at the most recent announcement from Wind River and examines the difference between embedded systems on the ground and in orbit.

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Kevin Morris – Editor
Embedded Technology Journal

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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More Information

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CURRENT FEATURE ARTICLES

Launching Linux
Open Source OS Off to Space
Parallel Processing Considered Not Harmful
by Dick Selwood, Embedded Technology Journal
Enigmatic EDA
DAC Highlights Dilemma
Flying Embedded Technology
When Business and Pleasure Overlap
Cranking up the MIPS
Introducing the 74K
William Shockley
Dick Selwood reviews "Broken Genius"
LeanPath Weighs In
Choosing Between Open-source and Commercial OS
It Isn’t Easy Being Green
Weee Review RoHS Basics

JOURNAL WEBCASTS

NEW! LatticeXP2 FPGAs: SRAM + Embedded Flash = No Compromise, Full-Featured Non-Volatile FPGA Design Solutions sponsored by Lattice

Learn to Design with Stratix III FPGAs’ Programmable Power Technology & Selectable Core Voltage sponsored by Altera

Using Processors in FPGAs? The industry's only soft IP ARM7 core for Flash FPGAs sponsored by Actel

Low Power FPGA design with Actel IGLOO, the 5µW FPGA for cool portables sponsored by Actel

ARM7, Analog,Flash and FPGA in a Single Chip Actel's ARM in Fusion sponsored by Actel

Introducing Actel Fusion – the world’s first Flash-based FPGA, with Memory and Analog front end sponsored by Actel

Introducing Spartan-3AN FPGAs – Non-Volatile Secure Platform for Highest System Integration sponsored by Xilinx

Launching Linux
Open Source OS Off to Space

What happens when you put a few million lines of open source software into orbit? At this point, maybe nobody knows. We’ll all get to find out soon, however. Wind River Systems has just announced a deal with Honeywell Aerospace that will place the company’s Carrier-Grade Linux (CGL) on board the “New Millenium Program Space Technology 8” (ST8) spacecraft, scheduled for launch in November 2009. Wind River’s CGL (See, we’re talking like space-pros already – making acronyms for everything) will be seated in what certainly could be described as the first-class section of the ship – the “Dependable Multiprocessor” (DM) payload. So, in space talk – “CGL will be on the DM in ST8.”

See, we are practically astronauts already.

By the way, did you see that image above? Think anybody on the project might have been a Star Trek fan?

The DM experiment, “Dependable Multiprocessor,” is basically about putting a supercomputer into space. The thing is, it’s nearly impossible to get a supercomputer to work here on the ground, let alone in orbit. To make matters worse, the biggest enemy of supercomputing is excessive power consumption. Supercomputers are often designed in cooperation with public utilities so that they can meet their supply and cooling needs. In space, two of the things that are in short supply are power and cooling air. Is this starting to sound fun? [more]