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From: dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Perry G Ramsey)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: New (!?!?!?!) Shuttle Computers
Summary: That's the way NASA operates
Message-ID: <6963@mace.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 9 Mar 91 18:12:40 GMT
References: <1991Mar7.142311.10412@vaxa.strath.ac.uk>
Organization: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Lines: 30

In article <1991Mar7.142311.10412@vaxa.strath.ac.uk>, cabp10@vaxa.strath.ac.uk (Theora Jones, In Person!) writes:
> 
>  Excuse me for my ignorance in this matter, but I'm still a student and I find
> it completely unbelievable that NASA are using technology that even 'toy'
> home computers no longer use...
>  Core memories???? I was under the impression they went out about the same time
> as gas street lights and computers that took up a whole building just to add
> two numbers !
>  Magnetic Tape???? what about disks????? even floppies, with up to 20MB on a

The paperwork needed to order the change would fill TWO buildings.  

To be a little more fair, they have a very complex vehicle. It is
important to make sure that changes don't affect the system in unexpected
ways, so it takes a lot of integration engineering and testing to do that. 

They've just gone overboard with the principle.  Working with outdated
equipment just because it was available off the shelf in 1974 ends up 
being a safety hazard, because you can't incorporate advances in capability.
Besides the fact that NASA is supposed to be pushing technology if their 
existence is to have any value to the taxpayers.  The state of the Shuttle GPC
indicates pretty clearly that the current
NASA (at least the manned space side) is scared to death of anything new. 
That, though, is the ultimate state of any hidebound bureaucracy:  it's
better not to make a mistake than not to accomplish anything.
-- 
Perry G. Ramsey           Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
perryr@vm.cc.purdue.edu   Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN USA
dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu    ***  IMAGINE YOUR LOGO HERE  ******
    Ten thousand low-lifes a day read this space.