As a science fiction fan, when I see a dramatic headline like Computer Flaw Could Imperil Space Station, I can’t help thinking of murderous AI’s. Sadly, the real problem is much more prosaic:
The [International Space Station] depends on Russian and American computer systems to maintain the attitude of the station as it orbits the earth. The United States computer system runs the network of gyroscopes that provide stability, and the Russian system controls thrusters that correct the orientation of the station when the gyroscopes alone cannot do the job and shift position for operations like docking and avoiding debris.
The problem first emerged on Tuesday as astronauts were connecting a new 17.2-ton truss to the station. The three navigation computers in the Russian section crashed and could not be rebooted.
I’m actually kind of torn about this. On the one hand, it ends up reflecting poorly on all of science when some space-based enterprise fails, particularly when it fails for such a stupid reason. The late-night talk show jokes practically write themselves.
On the other hand, though, getting rid of the ridiculous white elephant that is the ISS, even for an exceedingly stupid reason, is probably the best thing that could happen to NASA. A huge amount of money goes into maintaining this misconceived piece of junk, and if it were to go away, that might free up some funds to do actual interesting science.
(Of course, the nightmare possibility would be that the ISS comes down, and NASA commits to spending billions to put up another one just like it. I give that about an 80% probability with the current administration, so I guess I’m rooting for them to fix the computer systems…)