NASA’s newest and most ambitious spacecraft is dumber than a phone

NASA’s Orion spacecraft is being heralded as the saving grace of restless, star-gazing pioneers everywhere. And for good reason! It’s the first real attempt in decades at pushing human space travel to its furthest possible limits. And what feat of engineering is powering this manifestation of mankind’s greatest ambitions? An obsolete processor circa 2002. Of course, NASA’s used to dealing with parts well past their prime, but Orion’s isn’t just a matter of circumstance. The well-worn tech actually contributes to the whole project’s potential success rate.