Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ub!acsu.buffalo.edu From: stein-c@acsu.buffalo.edu (Craig Steinberger) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: Shuttle computers break down during glide tests Message-ID: <74602@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> Date: 3 May 91 13:05:35 GMT References: <1991Apr26.111139.1@vf.jsc.nasa.gov> <1991May2.200211.2157@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> Sender: news@acsu.Buffalo.EDU Distribution: sci.space.shuttle Organization: SUNY at Buffalo-CFD Lab Lines: 14 Nntp-Posting-Host: cfd11.eng.buffalo.edu In article <1991May2.200211.2157@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> dbm@icarus.jsc.nasa.gov (Brad Mears) writes: >The interesting point is that "nobody uses it". Other than a few activities >which _must_ be performed by the crew, the flight software is capable of flying >it all the way to the ground. Why? As far as I can tell, the autoland >software is as trustworthy as the rest of it. I remember reading that the autopilot/autoland was accurate to a tolerance of about 20 feet or so. This tolerance is acceptable in flight but a mistake of 20 feet while landing can put you underground. However, I do recall some tests of an autoland capability being tested on some airplane by NASA (LaRC?). That was in an AW&ST some time ago. -- Craig Steinberger stein-c@eng.buffalo.edu SUNY at Buffalo, Computational Fluid Dynamics Lab