Testing New Transistors In Space

Roland Piquepaille writes "Northwestern University researchers have developed new transistors which are currently tested on the International Space Station (ISS) to see how they react to cosmic radiation. These transistors, which are using a new kind of gate dielectric material called a self-assembled nanodielectric (SAND), are exposed to radiation outside the ISS since March 22, 2008, and will stay there for one year. According to the researchers, these new transistors could be used 'on long space missions since early experiments on Earth indicate that the transistors hold up well when exposed to radiation.'"

Re:Cost of transistors

[Anonymous Coward]

Stick to software, bub. You think it's cheap to build machines to etch the latest CPUs that your convoluted software will bring to its knees?

Re:Cost of transistors

[robo_mojo]

Stick to software, bub. You think it's cheap to build machines to etch the latest CPUs that your convoluted software will bring to its knees?

...because they're doing this just so you can run your convoluted desktop software. </sarcasm>

There are entire classes of problems that are intractably hard, even with the best known algorithms implemented very efficiently, optimized over years of study. Unless you have a solution to solve NP problems in P time, you will have to put up with advancements in CPU technology for the foreseeable future.

Re:Pff, radiation-proof logic gates already exist

[inasity_rules]

Yeah, because relay's don't wear out and they're just so small, light and fast!! [/sarcasm].

how is this informative? Relays still have many practical uses in electronics, but mostly for switching high currents/voltages at low frewquencies. As practical logic gates, they are fairly useless.

Welcome to the year 2008. There are better ways now.

Re:Pff, radiation-proof logic gates already exist

[Anonymous Coward]

You and the retard who modded the OP informative wouldn't know a joke if it painted its bottom blue, bit you in the arse and shouted "I'm a joke".

Re:better idea

[Anonymous Coward]

Most space craft are unmanned.

Re:better idea

[frieko]

Humans get a lot of UV and background radiation on a daily basis and repair a remarkably high fraction of the damage, splicing back together DNA strands and such. But knock out one important transistor and you've boned a whole computer. Even a shielded computer needs to be rad hard. Plus as sibling mentioned, 99% of spacecraft are unmanned satellites. And lead is... heavy.