NASA uses computers for every administrative purpose that any other large organization would use them for, such as budgeting, personnel, word processing, e-mail, its Web site, etc., etc. Both the PCS and Russian Laptop use their own graphical interfaces that depict the ISS, ... (Station Support Computers). “In the future, astronauts will use portable computers for many tasks, including maintenance, training, medical treatment, science, time lining, and scheduling.” It is well known that microgravity can have a detrimental effect on the human body—muscles atrophy, bones weaken, and the immune system doesn’t function properly.

NASA.gov brings you the latest images, videos and news from America's space agency. However, computers were still new and largely unknown devices in the early 1970s, before the advent of relatively inexpensive microprocessors and personal computers.

Get the latest on all things technology related from NASA. There are a number of real time OS in use, but VxWorks is common. NASA Chooses This Brand For Its Laptops Aboard The ISS. Mission critical applications are often Linux, but we see windows as well. ), and MS Windows in the office, although both Macs and Windows machines at NASA are heavily customized.

NASA and SpaceX ground stations use Linux. DNA-sequencing lab technicians use Linux . Most desktop and laptop computers used for everyday tasks (e-mail, office automation and light calculations) come from an agency wide contract that includes Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. I'm a NASA contractor, and we use a mix of Mac OS X (JUST NOW moving to Yosemite! IBM had traditionally been NASA’s only spacecraft computer supplier and was at the heart of these decisions.