{"id":567842,"date":"2026-04-06T12:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T12:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/567842\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T12:35:13","slug":"why-are-astronauts-using-aging-tech-nasa-spaceflight-expert-has-the-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/567842\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are astronauts using aging tech? NASA spaceflight expert has the answers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Astronauts floating in space using what looks like \u201cold tech\u201d might sound bizarre at first. But as it turns out, there\u2019s a very practical reason behind it. And no, it\u2019s not because NASA is stuck in the past. A recent explanation from NASA spaceflight expert Jason Hutt<\/a> sheds light on why missions like Artemis still rely on aging hardware, including older Windows tablets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why NASA still uses \u201cold\u201d tech in space<\/p>\n

According to Hutt, it all comes down to testing, cost, and reliability. Space hardware isn\u2019t something you can just swap out every year like a smartphone. Every single component has to go through extensive certification and testing, which takes years and costs a fortune. So once a device is approved, NASA sticks with it.<\/p>\n

By using a device ISS was using, we would save money on certifying the hardware. Every piece of equipment flown has to go through a series of testing. That testing takes time and money. The operations software on the tablet was developed in Windows for ISS, so we needed a windows tablet. <\/p>\n

\u2014 Jason Hutt (@jthutt.bsky.social)<\/a> 2026-04-02T17:17:24.791Z<\/a><\/p>\n

In fact, for missions like Artemis<\/a>, NASA intentionally chose devices that were already used on the International Space Station<\/a>. This avoided the need to re-certify new hardware, saving both time and money. The software was also already built for that specific platform, making it the safest and most practical choice.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the timeline problem. Missions are planned years in advance, meaning the \u201clatest\u201d tech at the time of launch is often already outdated by the time astronauts actually fly. But that\u2019s a trade-off NASA is willing to make, because reliability matters far more than cutting-edge performance.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a deliberate decision<\/p>\n

Zoom out a bit, and this approach is actually standard across space missions. NASA often prefers older, well-tested components because they\u2019re proven to work in extreme environments like radiation-heavy space. Newer tech might be faster, but it\u2019s also riskier and less predictable.<\/p>\n

\"NASA<\/p>\n

\t\tEthan Miller \/ Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n

There are also practical limitations. Deep-space missions don\u2019t have reliable internet as we do on Earth, so software can\u2019t depend on constant connectivity. Add bandwidth constraints and data limits into the mix, and suddenly, modern, cloud-heavy systems stop making sense altogether. In other words, space isn\u2019t the place to experiment with the latest gadgets. It\u2019s where you take the stuff that\u2019s been tested, proven, and trusted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Astronauts floating in space using what looks like \u201cold tech\u201d might sound bizarre at first. But as it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":567843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[718,79,193],"class_list":["post-567842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-nasa","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=567842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/567843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=567842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=567842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=567842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}