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Space mission may spawn cool new technologies back on Earth.
The Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum on Mars are a long way from Silicon Valley, but just getting to those spots and digging around may help bring about technology breakthroughs on Earth, according to some engineers involved with the mission.
The Mars Exploration Rovers mission, in which a pair of six-wheeled rovers have gone to Mars to study the planet's makeup and look for evidence of water, is forcing engineers to deal with extraordinary conditions, not the least of which is the 106 million miles currently between the rovers' destination and mission controllers on Earth. However, the special demands of the months-long flight and the surface of Mars call for some capabilities that may be useful closer to home.
Among the many technologies that went into the missions are cutting-edge robotic capabilities and
an embedded operating system that can, to some degree, take care of itself [emphasis mine], say engineers who helped create the systems.
Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service
Friday, February 13, 2004"
Article here
Source: PC World
