Mars Ingenuity - Linux on Another Planet
When NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter made its historic first powered flight on Mars, it wasn’t just a leap for space exploration it was a milestone for open source technology. Ingenuity became the first aircraft to fly on another planet, and it did it while running Linux.
Hardware in Space
Ingenuity isn’t powered by expensive space hardened components. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor similar to what you’d find in a mid-2010s smartphone along with 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of flash storage.
Ingenuity uses a Linux OS and NASA’s F´ (F Prime) flight software framework originally developed by JPL for CubeSats and small spacecraft, and later open-sourced for the world to use.
Credit: Slides created by @Infic0Real #linux #techhistory #aerospace #nasa #computerscience
