Dawlish News

US space agency Nasa is to get a massive supercomputing boost to help get its shuttle missions back in action after the 2003 shuttle disaster. Project Columbia, a collaboration with two technology giants, will mean Nasa's computing power will be ramped up by 10 times to do complex simulations. It will be one of the world's biggest Linux-based supercomputers. The new supercomputer will help the agency model flight missions, climate research, and aerospace engineering. The system will have 500 terabytes of storage, the equivalent of 800,000 CDs. It will use the might of 10,240 Intel Itanium 2 processors for complex computer simulations. Nasa said the supercomputer will help patch holes in its computing power limitations that were highlighted following the Columbia shuttle disaster in which seven astronauts were killed. "This will enable Nasa to meet its immediate mission-critical requirements for return to flight, while building a strong foundation for our space exploration vision and future missions," said Sean O'Keefe, Nasa administrator.