Use in space




ThinkPads have been used heavily in space programs. NASA purchased more than 500 ThinkPad 750 laptops for flight qualification, software development, and crew training, and astronaut (and senator) John Glenn used ThinkPad laptops on his spaceflight mission STS-95 in 1998.

ThinkPad models used on Shuttle missions include:

  • ThinkPad 750 (first use in December 1993 supporting the Hubble repair mission)
  • ThinkPad 750C
  • ThinkPad 755C
  • ThinkPad 760ED
  • ThinkPad 760XD (ISS Portable Computing System)
  • ThinkPad 770
  • ThinkPad A31p (ISS Portable Computing System)
  • ThinkPad T61p

The ThinkPad 750 flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour during a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope on 2 December 1993, running a NASA test program which checked if radiation in the space environment caused memory anomalies or other unexpected problems. ThinkPads were also used in conjunction with a joystick for the Portable In-Flight Landing Operations Trainer (PILOT).

ThinkPads have also been used on space stations. At least three ThinkPad 750C were left in the Spektr module of Mir when it depressurized, and the 755C and 760ED were used as part of the Shuttle–Mir Program, the 760ED without modifications. Additionally, for several decades ThinkPads were the only laptops certified for use on the International Space Station.

ThinkPads used aboard the space shuttle and International Space Station feature safety and operational improvements for the environment they must operate in. Modifications include Velcro tape to attach to surfaces, upgrades to the CPU and video card cooling fans to accommodate for microgravity (in which warmer air does not rise) and lower density of the cabin air, and an adapter for the station's 28 volt DC power.

Throughout 2006, a ThinkPad A31p was being used in the Service Module Central Post of the International Space Station and seven ThinkPad A31p laptops were in service in orbit aboard the International Space Station. As of 2010, the Space Station was equipped with ThinkPad A31 computers and 32 ThinkPad T61p laptops. All laptops aboard the ISS are connected to the station's LAN via Wi-Fi and are connected to the ground at 3 Mbit/s up and 10 Mbit/s down, comparable to home DSL connection speeds.

Since a new contract with HP in 2016 provided a small number of modified ZBook laptops for ISS use, ThinkPads are no longer the only laptops flown on the ISS.

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