NASA needed more stable and reliable solution for the ISS

May 7, 2013 23:51 GMT  ·  By

More and more entities are getting rid of Windows and are adopting Linux. It’s time now for NASA and ISS to take this important step.

According to the Linux Foundation, who is helping NASA with the transition from one operating system to another, the process is well underway.

“We migrated key functions from Windows to Linux because we needed an operating system that was stable and reliable – one that would give us in-house control. So if we needed to patch, adjust or adapt, we could,” stated Keith Chuvala, leader of the Laptops and Network Integration Teams.

According to The Linux Foundation, Keith Chuvala oversees the developers in charge of writing and integrating software for the Station’s “OpsLAN” – a network of laptops that provide the ISS crew with vital capabilities for day-to-day operations.

This is a very big step for NASA, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Many scientific facilities are running Linux solutions, including the LHC, for example.