NASA tests Linux for spacecraft control

More on Dependable Multiprocessor: http://nmp.nasa.gov/st8/tech/eaftc_tech1.html

The Problem

radiation hardened electronics are extremely expensive and generally are several generations behind the state of the art of their commercial equivalents. Since a spacecraft's most precious commodities are mass (weight), volume, and power, it is difficult to build a modern, powerful, space-going computer system within acceptable mass, volume and power constraints.

Dependable Multiprocessor experiment is to use a redundant-hardware architecture and advanced-technology, fault-tolerant software to provide a computing system able to operate in the space environment.

Linux is already really common at Nasa. This is cool though.