"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. lab in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January, 1992... The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error."

Far from being foolproof and incapable of error, the computing technology used in space today can be difficult and frustrating due to the limitations of current hardware performance (which can be affected by radiation) and the software demands of the highly complex technology upon which mission success-and space explorers' lives-may depend.

USRA Information Technology Programs include:

• The Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS) is focused on developing the next generation enabling technologies that will facilitate both human and robotic space exploration.