darb1972
Senior Member
Hi All
While this isn't strictly related to PICaxe (although there is a "PICaxe In Space"), I thought this might be of interest for those who not only appreciate the complexities of Space Exploration, but also what one can do with electronics. Sometimes we tend to "complain" that the likes of a PICaxe isn't powerful enough, or fast enough to do the task at hand. Much to my amazement, the Voyager Mission was based around fairly basic CMOS (but at the time, cutting edge) electronics with memory of just under 70kB. The NASA team continued to receive data and communicated with the two Voyager units for decades (40th Anniversary, launched in 1977). They even managed to "reprogram" the unit/s (using FORTRAN) as these marvelous creations hurdled through space at astronomical speeds.
Absolutely amazing stuff. I would recommend that you watch the video in part one. The other (currently three) parts are also linked. Most of us would tend to enjoy part four "The Brains of the Voyager Spacecraft: Command, Data, and Attitude Control Computers". It's a nine part series.
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/voyager-mission-anniversary-celebration-introduction/
Based on what I have read (so far) on this program, I will try to never complain again about the power we have available via the likes of micro-controllers such as PICaxe.
I hope you enjoy the articles.
PS: Although this is of immense interest to me, I don't really get much time to read up on the amazing world of Space Exploration. What I know about Space and Space Exploration you could write on the foreskin of a Bee. So, on that basis, I am by no means an authority in this area. I just thought this was worth bringing to the attention of PICaxe clan.
While this isn't strictly related to PICaxe (although there is a "PICaxe In Space"), I thought this might be of interest for those who not only appreciate the complexities of Space Exploration, but also what one can do with electronics. Sometimes we tend to "complain" that the likes of a PICaxe isn't powerful enough, or fast enough to do the task at hand. Much to my amazement, the Voyager Mission was based around fairly basic CMOS (but at the time, cutting edge) electronics with memory of just under 70kB. The NASA team continued to receive data and communicated with the two Voyager units for decades (40th Anniversary, launched in 1977). They even managed to "reprogram" the unit/s (using FORTRAN) as these marvelous creations hurdled through space at astronomical speeds.
Absolutely amazing stuff. I would recommend that you watch the video in part one. The other (currently three) parts are also linked. Most of us would tend to enjoy part four "The Brains of the Voyager Spacecraft: Command, Data, and Attitude Control Computers". It's a nine part series.
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/voyager-mission-anniversary-celebration-introduction/
Based on what I have read (so far) on this program, I will try to never complain again about the power we have available via the likes of micro-controllers such as PICaxe.
I hope you enjoy the articles.
PS: Although this is of immense interest to me, I don't really get much time to read up on the amazing world of Space Exploration. What I know about Space and Space Exploration you could write on the foreskin of a Bee. So, on that basis, I am by no means an authority in this area. I just thought this was worth bringing to the attention of PICaxe clan.
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