November 20, 2007
More on the Antarctic Habitat
SpaceRef has an article on the Inflatable Habitat module here. The article does a good job of explaining why it's being done, and the advantages of such structures.
My part in this was developing some of the software as well as integrating most of the sensors into the computer system. I also assembled the PC104 system shown in the picture below:
There are two computers, the first is the black laptop - an HP compaq system. The second is the PC-104 system I put together. It is accessed remotely using remote desktop protocol. There's no video screen, although it is loaded with a Windows XP OS.
Both of the computers can collect data - via USB hubs (Two wireless, and two wired hubs). The PC104 system also has 8 RS-232 serial ports on the back(unseen in the photo).
There is a wireless camera system (The White Motorola box next to the PC104 is the receiver)
The PC104 has a 5GB solid state hard drive which supposedly will withstand cold temperatures better than standard laptop hard drives.
We will see how the two systems stand up to prolonged operation in the habitat environment at McMurdo base. Hopefully both will operate smoothly for a long period of time uninterrupted.
Posted by Bob at November 20, 2007 08:12 PM