RTEMS on Mars?

[Kenneth J. Peters]

Yes, RTEMS is orbiting Mars now in the Electra radio. In a couple 
years in an upcoming project, it will be roving on the Mars surface. 
I lead the Electra software development team for these.

Please don't use this in any official advertising unless you get 
permission from JPL, but you can tell your kids :-)

Ken Peters

>Hi,
>
>Can some shed light on the possibility that RTEMS is
>on Mars?  As best I can tell from this presentation,
>there is a possibility that RTEMS is/was used for the
>Electra software radio which is the core of the
>"Mars network infrastructure".
>
>http://www.pmw.org/afsbpw06/talks/keynote_djbyrne.pdf
>
>The presentation states that it arrived on Mars in
>March 2006.
>
>According to Wikipedia:
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter
>
>"The Electra is a UHF 
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_high_frequency> antenna designed 
>to communicate with other spacecraft as they approach, land, and 
>operate on Mars. Electra will also provide Doppler information for 
>landed vehicles that will enable scientists to accurately determine 
>the their location. Additionally, the system will be a radio contact 
>for surface vehicles and route data to NASA if the vehicle's own 
>antenna does not have sufficient power to contact controllers."
>
>Please... this certainly sounds like the kind of RTEMS
>application, I like to show my kids.  Plus this would be
>the RTEMS application that is farthest from home. :)
>
>--joel