Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Shuttle computers break down during glide tests
Message-ID: <1991May1.162201.16502@zoo.toronto.edu>
Date: Wed, 1 May 1991 16:22:01 GMT
References: <1593@philtis.cft.philips.nl> <1991Apr26.111139.1@vf.jsc.nasa.gov> <1991Apr30.171707.27685@isc.rit.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

In article <1991Apr30.171707.27685@isc.rit.edu> isg7243@ritvax.isc.rit.edu writes:
>I thought I read in R. Feynmans' book thatthe only thing the pilot did
>during landing was press the button to lower the landing gear, and that
>only to give the idea that humans were really in charge...

You didn't read Feynman's book carefully enough. :-)  He said that the
shuttle is *theoretically* capable of handling the entire landing except
for lowering the landing gear.  This has never been tried.

The reason why the landing gear are lowered only by human command, by the
way, is that they cannot be raised again once lowered.  So they'd better
not get lowered prematurely.
-- 
And the bean-counter replied,           | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
"beans are more important".             |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu  utzoo!henry