In summary:
- NASA’s Artemis II astronauts experienced Microsoft Outlook failures on their Portable Computing Devices during their space mission, with one reporting two non-functional Outlook instances.
- PCWorld highlights how even advanced space operations face common software issues, demonstrating that Outlook problems plague users everywhere from Earth to orbit.
- Ground control offered remote troubleshooting support for the crew’s computing devices, showing how universal Microsoft’s email software challenges have become.
I have a complicated relationship with Microsoft Outlook. I wouldn’t touch Microsoft’s first-party email client if it weren’t part of my job—I’ve run entire websites out of Gmail, for example. But it looks like I’m in sky-high company. The NASA crew of the Artemis II spacecraft, currently on its way to circle the moon, is having some Outlook trouble, too.
A BlueSky user watching a live broadcast of NASA’s communications between mission control and the Artemis spotted a fun bit of technical support early this morning, US time.
“We suspect the issue with your PCD may be Optimus software,” says the ground-based operator. “We were able to connect to PCD-1, um, we can see it on the network. So with your go, we can remote in and take a look directly.”
“Yeah, go for it. And then I also see that I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those is working,” said the astronaut. “If you want to remote in and check the Optimus and those two Outlooks, that would be awesome.”
I’m not sure what “Optimus” is referring to here, but “PCD” is Portable Computing Device (i.e., a laptop or tablet). The ground crew is presumably using remote access software, something like Windows Remote Desktop or (I hope) a more sophisticated custom solution. If the astronaut is seeing two different versions of Outlook running at the same time, maybe he needs to run an update. He wouldn’t be the only one.
The idea of NASA astronauts checking their email is entertaining, but they’ve been doing it since at least 1991, according to a promotional article from Apple. Presumably they weren’t using Outlook at the time.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 15-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.