Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.hypercard:4608 comp.sys.mac.misc:3819
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!pacbell.com!ames!dftsrv!amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov!lev
From: lev@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Brian S. Lev)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard,comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: HC 2.0
Message-ID: <3549@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: 3 Oct 90 21:29:48 GMT
References: 26968@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <3510@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> <2865@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM> <3537@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> <4148@lib.tmc.edu>
Sender: news@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov
Reply-To: lev@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov
Distribution: usa
Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD, USA
Lines: 37
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4

In article <4148@lib.tmc.edu>, an12280@mdaali.cancer.utexas.edu (David Gutierrez) writes...
>In article <3537@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> lev@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Brian S. 
>Lev) writes:
>> P.S. - The onboard computers used in the shuttles are based VERY 
>strongly on
>> the ol' IBM PC/XT... 
> 
>Although two days ago a friend of mine at Johnson Space Center told me 
>that they're switching to Mac Portables for on-board systems.

As I understand it (no, I *don't* work directly on the shuttle program!), the
quintuply-redundant "little" systems on board are souped-up, PC-type, units.
I've also recently read (in both NASA and non-NASA publications) that a Mac
portable is being hand-carried on several missions in a test; the astronauts
have also been using a DOS-based laptop machine to help with navigational
math, since the "main" units are too small to do that on top of all the other
functions they have to worry about (!).

Interesting how _quickly_ a Mac went on board, in reference to how long a 
portable version's been available... but now we're leaving the realm of
Hypercard discussions, so anyone with further comments on this track please
Email me...  :-) 

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Brian Lev/STX                           (301)286-9514   (FTS)888-9514     |
|  NASA Goddard Space Flight Center        DECnet: SDCDCL::LEV  (6153::LEV)  |
|  Advanced Data Flow Technology Office    TCP/IP: lev@dftnic.gsfc.nasa.gov  |
|  Code 930.4                              BITNET: LEV@DFTBIT                |
|  Greenbelt, MD  20771                    TELENET: [BLEV/GSFCMAIL]          |
|     X.400 Address: (C:USA,ADMD:TELEMAIL,PRMD:GSFC,O:GSFCMAIL,UN:BLEV)      |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|   "The ability of a network to knit together the members of a sprawling    |
|   community has proved to be the most powerful way of fostering scienti-   |
|   fic advancement yet discovered."  -- Peter Denning                       |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|     DISCLAIMER: THESE STATEMENTS ARE MY OWN AND *NOT* NASA'S OR STX'S!     |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+