By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

It seems that computer viruses are now boldly going where no computer virus has gone before – the International Space Station.

The virus, otherwise known as “W32.Gammima.AG” to his buddies, was found on laptops which the astronauts use to email Mission Control in Texas.   However NASA was at great pains to stress that the virus-infected computers were at no time linked to the internet or the space station controls.    So no sensitive information was apparently passed through the virus back to its creator on planet Earth, nor was there seemingly any danger of the ISS malfunctioning and plummeting to Earth.

It has been assumed that the virus was first put on board by an infected USB stick from one of the astronauts.   Nice going Buck Rogers!

Stowaway computer virus sent into orbit – Times Online