#Motivational quotes database software#

There is no GPS for spacecraft (they arenвЂ™t on the globe, after all), so scientists had to find a way to locate the spacecraft in the vast expanse. Wait times, they realized, constitute an essential component for locating a probe in space, calculating its trajectory, and accurately locating a target like Pluto in space. For example, as scientists started to explore what they could learn from the wait times while communicating with deep space probes, they discovered that the time lag was extraordinarily useful information. However, building tools with specific constraints-from outdated technologies and low bitrate radio antennas-can enlighten us. Working within these constraints may seem limiting. They must adapt to using these outdated systems for the latest scientific work.

#Motivational quotes database software#

She said, вЂњInstead of upgrading to the next thing we decided that it was working just fine for us and we would stay on the platform.вЂќ They have developed so much over such a long period of time with the old software that they donвЂ™t want to switch to a newer system. As systems have gone obsolete, JPL no longer uses the software, but Bowman told me that the people on her team continue to use software built by JPL in the 1990s, because they are familiar with it. These machines were so out of date that Bowman had to shop on eBay to find replacement parts to get the machines working. вЂњSimilarly, the computers used to run the software on the ground for the mission were borrowed from a previous mission.