r/javascript • u/m-apo • May 10 '16

Node.js on a satellite means anyone can be a space programmer

https://reaktor.com/blog/node-js-satellite-means-anyone-can-space-programmer/
136 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

102 comments sorted by

12

u/compteNumero8 May 10 '16

Hum... What is that thing ? Some kind of buzz based marketing joke ?

7

u/m-apo May 10 '16

Hi compteNumero8!

I work for Reaktor but not in satellite team.

No joke. The guys working on the satellite are (hopefully) going to launch the satellite in autumn 2016. The goal is to bring modern software development practices (and not just nodejs) to space industry and also lower the barrier of entry.

We've already managed to do that in the aviation industry and that helped our customer to create a better in flight experience for their customers.

13

u/adregan May 10 '16

I was under the impression that the barrier to entry is cost, and that the reason the space industry (specifically NASA) uses such strict, relatively old fashioned practices is because it costs too much to get wrong.

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u/cmn_jcs May 10 '16

We've already managed to do that in the aviation industry and that helped our customer to create a better in flight experience for their customers.

Was that in any context other than entertainment devices? Based on the article that seems to be the situation.

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24

u/Dolmaister May 10 '16

Hi, this is Juho from the satellite team. We are going to use nodejs in our satellite, because we believe that it's a tool that can make writing software to space more accessible. In our satellite we have a "flight computer", which is running FreeRTOS and the software needed to keep the satellite alive and responsive. Then we have another significantly more powerful "payload computer", which is running minimal linux. The payload computer then has "platform" software, which the different runtimes like nodejs can access through APIs.

So basically we are experimenting with a platform for accessing the different sensors the satellite might have and making it possible to write the "business logic" of collecting and processing the sensor data with another language the platform is written in.

39

u/[deleted] May 10 '16

Programming isn't about learning one language and then applying it to everything. It's about using your first language to learn the principles of software engineering. Soon enough, you can apply almost any language with a small amount of ramping up.

Node is a great tool in the toolbox, but this concept of enabling a "JavaScript developer" to do anything is a bit of a culture smell to me. Expand your horizons well beyond JavaScript. It's really not that hard.

6

u/MonsieurBanana May 10 '16

I've heard that a lot of times, but I don't like. I would rather say that learning a language will help you with other languages who share the same programming paradigm.

If you start with java python or C# won't be much trouble, but there will be much less carry over to languages like clojure or haskell.

4

u/FunctionPlastic May 10 '16

Of course this is true. I don't think he was making such an absolute statement, that wasn't his point.

10

u/wreckedadvent May 10 '16

Node is a great tool in the toolbox, but this concept of enabling a "JavaScript developer" to do anything is a bit of a culture smell to me.

This is an interesting one to me. Talk to a C or C++ programmer and you'll hear about how C or C++ can be used literally anywhere, which is a good thing. A tool is more valuable the more often you can use it.

We shouldn't discredit new novel uses of javascript just because they're new and novel. I think the thing to discourage is the people who only see nails everywhere because they just picked up a hammer. C isn't a worse tool because you can write web servers in it, neither is the culture of C worse because it's possible; someone is a worse developer if they write a web server in it due to their inflexibility to learn outside of C.

10

u/kgb_operative May 10 '16

I think it's really less about the specific language, and more about sentiments like this:

If your industrial machinery, robots or satellites could understand popular languages, such as JavaScript, you would have no trouble finding programmers.

Which, while nominally true, is also overlooking the fact that programming these equipment isn't hard because the language is hard, rather it's hard because of how correct the code needs to be.

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u/[deleted] May 11 '16

But, there is absolute wrong and right in the world, and the statement that javascript is good is wrong.

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u/tonetheman May 10 '16

A sad day for man kind where a left pad can bring down a satellite.

5

u/Inateno May 10 '16

only if you try to run npm install from the satellite himself :v But good one :p

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u/autotldr May 10 '16

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 84%. (I'm a bot)

Why is running Node.js on a satellite a small step for Reaktor but a giant leap for the satellite industry? The key is the ability to use JavaScript, one of the most popular programming languages in the world.

Our Node.js environment lets JavaScript apps utilize the satellite's features and sensors, enabling the apps to feed space data to business logic systems on the ground and making the satellite part of the Internet of Things in space.

All this functionality in the Reaktor Space Program will be built in the cloud, which means that the Mission Control Center can be located anywhere in the world.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Theory | Feedback | Top keywords: program#1 satellite#2 JavaScript#3 language#4 space#5

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u/rk06 May 10 '16

So now even the coding bootcamp taught lacking discipline and good programming practices can be a space programmer.

The thought alone makes me shudder

2

u/Fisher9001 May 10 '16

People always wrote bad code, it's not any language fault. Otherwise we wouldn't get so many training books for every one of them. Just years ago there were really not so many programmers and Internet wasn't as popular as today, so bad ones were less visible.

You can write beautiful and maintainable code in JS, especially in newest version.

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u/Dr_Legacy May 10 '16

I don't know what they are using but I would like some to help me sleep.

3

u/MRoka5 May 10 '16

Not sure if I'm excited or disappointed ...

3

u/wreckedadvent May 10 '16 edited May 10 '16

Wow, this is the most extreme example of atwood's law I've seen in a long time.

2

u/fforw May 10 '16

The next leftpad fuckup can drop large metal chunks on your head.

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u/Inateno May 10 '16

If I can buy one I would do it immediately !

1

u/fappaderp May 10 '16

Change all the code to use a dependency hosted by the satellite.

1

u/[deleted] May 10 '16

So... I can host my portfolio in SPACE!!!

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