Security Watch | Matt Hines » Space Shuttle Discovery suffers serious bug

November 10, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Space Shuttle Discovery suffers serious bug

TAGS: Security

I was under the impression that most computer systems on this planet had already suffered through Y2K.

Alas, this time the problem is not on our planet.

I remember where I was December 31, 1999 - holding my breath wondering if the data center lights around me were going to shut down and whether the generators that were geared to provide emergency power to hundreds of servers were going to come on like they were supposed to.

As we have seen since that fateful date, we survived with nary a scratch, at least compared to the possible doomsday scenarios that could have shut down our worldwide power grid, telecommunications network and our overall infrastructure.

Unfortunately, no one at NASA seems to have learned from this lesson. I was watching CNN Headline News yesterday and saw a story that indicates NASA is yet again behind the eight-ball.

If the shuttle is in space during the transition to the new year, very bad things could happen to the shuttle and it's operation. Although no one is saying what that could really mean to the shuttle and its crew.

NASA is pushing to launch the Shuttle Discovery by December 7th so that they can bring it back before the end of the year. I wasn't aware of this, but it seems shuttles have never been in space while the transition from year to year has occurred.

I won't harp on the government regarding this lack of forethought since a federal agency helps me pay my bills most of the year. But you get where I was going with this...

Hasn't NASA had at least six years to deal with this problem? I hope we'll have Discovery back and on Terra Firma by the end of the year so that they can continue to fly in their 'normal certified mode'.

Just because it's Friday

Seems that laptop personal security took on a whole new meaning when Denise Richards used laptops to disuade the paperazzi from bothering her.

And in the I wish I could do that department

Magician David Copperfield was easily able to hide his valuables and fool thieves during a recent robbery. Too bad we can't use this trick for data security.

Posted by Victor R. Garza on November 10, 2006 09:18 AM

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