From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_20,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,92471489ebbc99c6 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: "Condic, Marin D." Subject: Re: Y2K Issues Date: 1998/10/23 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 404902877 Sender: Ada programming language Comments: cc: "dennison@TELEPATH.COM" Content-Type: text/plain MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-10-23T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: dennison@TELEPATH.COM writes: >In article <362f066a.164357874@news.geccs.gecm.com>, > mark.bennison@gecm.com (Mark Bennison) wrote: >> eachus@spectre.mitre.org (Robert I. Eachus) thought long and hard and >> wrote: >> >> >> >starting to become important. (You may not build things expected to >> >work for over 2000 years, but there is already one satellite in orbit >> >with an expected useful lifetime four times that.) >> >> Just to satisfy my curiosity... >> >> Why would a satellite be designed with an expected useful lifetime of >> 8000 years? What does it do that will still be of interest in that >> time frame? > >Perhaps it's supposed to keep track of continental drift. :-) > I recall seeing an article several years back that was talking about a satellite that was essentially a big huge chunk of metal with mirrors on it. The idea was that they wanted something with a fair amount of mass placed in a very stable orbit off of which they could bounce lasers to make precise measurements for geological purposes - or as you suggest - keep track of continental drift. Since the satellite had no battery powered gonculators or fuel driven fragistats on board, the only real limitation to its life span was how long it would stay in its proper orbit - which I could image to be 8000 years. But then again, without any computerized whozits on board, it wouldn't likely have much of a Y2K problem, would it? ;-) I'd be interested to hear about any satellite - operational or planned - which had any non-trivial electrical or mechanical apparatus which was expected to operate for 8000 years. And I'd like to know if that was just an accidental byproduct or if it was a design requirement. MDC Marin D. Condic Real Time & Embedded Systems United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney Government Engines & Space Propulsion M/S 731-95, P.O.B. 109600, West Palm Beach, FL, 33410-9600 Ph: 561.796.8997 Fx: 561.796.4669 "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." -- Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.