The astronauts in the ISS aren’t still using old modded laptops like the one showcased in the NASA Stennis visitor center. The latest updates came in April this year, with over 100 HP Z Workstations packing a mix of Core Ultra 9 processors and RTX Pro Blackwell graphics sent into orbit.
HP talks about putting these PCs through two years of rigorous testing ahead of deployment. We don’t get much in the way of technical info from its release, but again, it was recognized that a single power standard was important. The computer maker supplies universal AC/DC power adapters with its latest crop of space laptops that are specially designed to function on both the ISS and Earth.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News , or add us as a preferred source , to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-25/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Mark Tyson Social Links Navigation News Editor Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
King_V Honestly, while USB-C is becoming the standard for laptop charging, there is absolutely NO reason that laptop manufacturers needed to all use different sizes (and sometimes shapes) for their charging ports. I mean, other than selling replacement chargers/profit motive. It goes without saying: Having a universal, standardized charging port isn't… rocket science . (thank you all, you've been a wonderful audience) Reply
ackza so China and their new GPI cables to replace Usbc is better than NASA. their government sector is better than ours Reply
USAFRet ackza said: so China and their new GPI cables to replace Usbc is better than NASA. their government sector is better than ours You do realize that these mods were from around the turn of the century, right? When the ISS was new, and USB-C was years away. Reply
alan.campbell99 In my recent experience, imho, it's been a mistake to use hardwired USB-C ports for laptop charging as well as data/DP out, I've seen lots of mainboard replacements now because of this through wear and tear. Previous barrel/DIN ports tended to be a separate part. Apple did a good thing by making MacBook USB-C ports individually replaceable at least. Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/space/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/space/nasa-modded-space-stations-laptops-so-everyone-could-use-the-same-charger-standardizing-iss-chargers-eliminated-useless-weight-and-reduced-failure-points#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
- x64 port of Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a arrives — you can now run this seminal 1990 word processor natively in Windows 11
- Powerful Compute So Compact, It’s Clutch — Build AI Anywhere With NVIDIA Jetson
- NVIDIA AI Supercomputer Comes Online at Naval Postgraduate School
- Owner of original Intel 8080 pre-production layout seeks restorer — handcrafted Rubylith mask shows 5,000 transistors and interconnect patterns of the fabled 2
- GeForce NOW Shakes Up August With 26 New Games
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.