When NASA went looking on eBay for parts so the Space Shuttle could keep running

The Space Shuttle is one of the most extraordinary and complex machines ever built by humans. A ship capable of transporting astronauts to the low earth orbit (LEO) and bring them safely back to Earth. This technological prodigy, which became one of the greatest pride of the United States for three decades, was also a key element in the space race, which even prompted the Soviet Union to develop the Buran.

In order for this advanced vehicle to fulfill its mission, NASA had to implement numerous complementary systems and infrastructures. From tanks and rockets to fueling systems and launch pads, just to name a few. But the passage of time, even in the most ambitious human projects, also takes its toll. And what happened at the dawn of the new millennium is a clear example of this.

eBay, a key player for the ferry fleet

In the early 2000s, the Space Shuttle Program was about 20 years old, and while it had received many improvements since initial liftoff, a host of components were looming large. shadow of obsolescence. It’s no secret that the US space agency is not the one that develops and builds everything it uses. Although he is the head of his country’s space programs, he relies on thousands of different contractors.

So, according to account an article from The New York Times, there came a time when neither NASA nor the contractors could get hold of certain basic parts for the complementary systems that allowed the shuttle to function. At that time, the updated operation schedule established that this ship would complete its life cycle in 2012, although there was also the possibility of extending it 10 years beyond that limit.

In this way, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration had to guarantee the continuity of this multimillion-dollar project for at least another decade, and to do so began to seek the missing pieces in e-commerce stores like eBay. In one of his moves, members of the agency say, he bought a batch of obsolete medical equipment. It was clear that what was needed was under the hood of these old pieces of equipment.

Launch pad

We are talking about the Intel 8086 processors. These chips began their development in 1976 and were released in 1978. Considering that the first flight of the Space Shuttle occurred in 1981, it makes sense that NASA would have used them in their flagship project. The chips bought online were not intended for the shuttle itself, but for much of the equipment on the ground, such as the thruster diagnostic system, a key component for takeoff.

launch control center

At that time, NASA’s mission for used product sales platforms was also to find other chips of the time, specific integrated circuit boards and 8 inch floppy disks (The US used the latter until 2019 to manage its nuclear arsenal). Although it may seem hard to believe, as we say, these pieces were essential for the continuity of a project that was born with an air of grandeur and a large budget.

You may be wondering why the systems were not updated. In fact, they were updated, with more modern components and software, but this type of task had many limitations. One of them, as explained by NASA itself, in many cases it was decided to use equipment and components whose reliability had been proven, mainly in projects that were already underway. The implementation of “high technologies” was generally reserved for new projects.

Images: POT | Thomas Nguyen

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