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From: msjohnso@daisy.WichitaKS.NCR.COM (Mark Johnson)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: New Shuttle Computers
Message-ID: <430@daisy.WichitaKS.NCR.COM>
Date: 18 Mar 91 15:47:13 GMT
Article-I.D.: daisy.430
References: <1991Mar4.202334.22118@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> <1991Mar5.013344.7971@umiami.ir.miami.edu> <1991Mar06.063034.12021@nowhere.uucp> <1991Mar7.010752.10632@agate.berkeley.edu> <1991Mar9.044834.27802@cimage.com>
Reply-To: msjohnso@daisy.WichitaKS.NCR.COM (Mark Johnson)
Organization: NCR Corporation, Wichita KS
Lines: 16

In article <1991Mar9.044834.27802@cimage.com> gregc@dgsi.UUCP (Greg Cronau/10000) writes:
>	The bottom line is that harddrives are only useful in situations where
>you will be *writing* alot of new data. The control program for the
>shuttle is only *read* during flight, never written. A read only tape drive
>can be made much more rugged than a hard drive.

I wonder if they've considered using CD-ROM as a storage medium for the control
programs. It's rugged, the drives can be lighter than tapes, the media is
not alterable except by drastic accident on-board, etc.

Well, maybe someday.... 
-- 
Mark Johnson   On the air:  WB9QLR/0  USnail: NCR Peripheral Products Division
E-mail:  Mark.Johnson@Wichita.NCR.COM         3718 N. Rock Rd.
Voice: (316) 636-8189 [V+ 654-8189]           Wichita, KS  67226
On the flying field: NAR 14025/AMA 290233