Lunar supercomputer?, Could a lunar supercomputer alleviate the DSN data overload? |
Lunar supercomputer?, Could a lunar supercomputer alleviate the DSN data overload? |
Oct 10 2012, 09:48 PM
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#1
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 8 Joined: 9-August 12 From: Seattle, Washington (USA) Member No.: 6517 |
A USC grad student is proposing that we build a supercomputer at one of the lunar poles:
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/...rcomputer-moon/ The idea is to alleviate data overload issues with NASA Deep Space Network. It's a creative idea, although his proposed time-frame is too ambitious. Also, wouldn't it be cheaper to orbit an array of spaceborne antennas (at a Lagrange point) to act as a front-end for the DSN? -------------------- Twitter: @philna | seattle.wa.usa
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Oct 11 2012, 12:15 AM
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#2
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14431 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
It's crazy. Utterly crazy. The infrastructure required at a DSN site to succesfully receive those signals is enormous - utterly enormous. If you're going to upgrade the DSN, upgrade the DSN....you don't need to put any part of it on the moon to get the job done.
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Oct 11 2012, 12:56 AM
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#3
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10128 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
A solution looking for a problem - but he didn't pick a very realistic problem. A giant server farm for massive longterm data archiving maybe... others have suggested that. Anyway, not in the cards for a very long time.
Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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Oct 11 2012, 06:26 AM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 3108 Joined: 21-December 05 From: Canberra, Australia Member No.: 615 |
As someone who has an intimate knowledge of the DSN - the idea won't fly: literally or figuratively.
The Network needs an upgrade for sure, but on the ground. Certainly not on the Moon - it's a long enough commute for me every day already!! |
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