The journey of exploring other planets may sound futuristic and conjure up images of super-advanced technologies. However, few could have guessed that this reality would carry retro touches, as is the case with the space rover that NASA sent to Mars. Named Perseverance, it uses a PowerPC 750 processor, the same one found in the 3 iMac G1998 computers.

This processor, with its colorful, transparent, bulb-shaped cases, was a huge relief for the Apple, as it rescued the company from a crisis and helped it get back on track to success, which would eventually lead the company to become what it is today. However, compared to current processors, this processor is absurdly slow. The PowerPC 750 chip has 6 million transistors and a capacity of 233MHz, while the M1 It has 16 billion transistors, reaching 3,2GHz. And before you think this is scientific madness or that NASA is tight-fisted, there is an explanation for this choice.

Radiation-resistant processor

Astronomers at the US agency are not interested in speed, but rather in confidence that the chip will work in extreme conditions. When operating on another planet, the reality is, to say the least, a little different. The Earth's atmosphere protects the devices here from radiation circulating in space, including solar radiation. On Mars, however, the situation is different. There, technological devices are more exposed. There is also the fact that the Earth's climate conditions are less hostile.

Given that NASA has invested US$2,4 billion (approximately R$13,6 billion), it would be a risk to send a rover whose structure would pose problems with the Martian atmosphere. And the scientists involved in the project noted that the iMac's RAD750 processor offers the necessary resistance that Perseverance needs and made small modifications so that it can withstand 200 to 1 million Rads (a unit of measurement of radiation) and temperatures ranging from -55º to 125º C.

There are currently 100 satellites orbiting Earth equipped with the RAD750 processor, all of which are functioning normally. Thus, the guarantee that missions will be carried out and communications maintained is much greater than with a recent Core i7. The cost of this modified 23-year-old processor? US$200.