Hmmm, I wonder what the radiation levels were at that altitude... Apparently not enough that hardened electronics would be required.
Actually, it is. Though as with biological organisms, exposure time is a factor. The longer a computer is exposed to cosmic radiation, the greater the chances of a malfunction occurring. A non-hardened computer can probably operate in space for days or even weeks without any problems, depending on your definition of "probably". The problem is that most spacecraft generally need to last for more than a few weeks, and manned missions in particular need more than just a "probably".
