ISS (International Space Station) Switches To Linux

Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are set to move their laptops from the current Windows OS to the granddaddy of open source – Debian. The move has been a concious choice by NASA. 

For NASA, the choice of a GNU/Linux distribution is related to the fact that the system is stable, but can also be changed and adapted. Note that Linux is already used in some components of the ISS for a few years now, as explained in this article. However, no panic, because the vital systems of spacecraft like the International Space Station rarely use Linux and operating in real time as VxWorks (used by Curiosity on Mars) systems are generally preferred.

This is just another step towards the global domination of Linux. I’ve heard many people describe GNU/Linux a “out of this world” but I never thought we could be taking that statement literally!