Space Shuttle Using Parts Bought On eBay

from the we-knew-it-was-useful-for-something dept

NASA built the space shuttle a long time ago using state of the art parts. Well, obviously, over the years the state of the art has advanced quite a bit, but the space shuttles are still the same. So, where does NASA go to pick up replacement parts? Apparently, eBay and Yahoo's auction site are their shopping venues of choice (though, admittedly, these are for servicing and support gear - and not the shuttle itself). They're trying to hoard older computer parts, like the old 8086 chip. They say they're only buying in bulk, so it's unlikely they'll want your junked PC that's been collecting dust in the basement.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    sb, 13 May 2002 @ 7:48pm

    No Subject Given

    something strikes me as very weird
    cant they replace some of this shit?
    8 floppy drives?
    just convert the damn boards to use newer drive?

    no?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      mhh5, 13 May 2002 @ 8:49pm

      it's not weird at all...

      NASA needs to make sure that everything works. And it's probably cheaper to use the "old" parts than to test "new" hardware for incompatibilities. I'm sure if the old parts became impossible to find or too expensive, then NASA _would_ convert to newer parts.....

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 May 2002 @ 9:07pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      Scuttle the shuttle give us S.S.T.O.- Having a ship fall apart to get to its destination seems to me as outdated as an 8086 ;)

      link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.