The company that oversees the day-to-day operations of the US space
shuttle uses auctions on eBay as a guide to sourcing computer parts
that are no longer manufactured.
However, United Space Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and
Lockheed Martin, does not actually bid in auctions and the
components that it buys are never used on the shuttle itself, a
company representative said.
The United Space Alliance has been inundated with parts offers from
companies looking to get rid old computer components since a
New
York Times story ran saying that the company regularly searches
eBay and Yahoo auctions looking for parts.
"Think of it more as a chain preservation," United Space Alliance
said. Company engineers must consider the long-term needs of the
shuttle program, which began in the late 1970s and had its first
launch in 1981.
The need for parts will probably continue for some time. Each of
the shuttle's airframes was designed for 100 missions. Since most
of the current crop of shuttles has only gone into space about 25
times, NASA anticipates that the fleet will keep flying until 2020.