Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!uwvax!umn-d-ub!nic.MR.NET!shamash!nis!viper!dave
From: dave@viper.Lynx.MN.Org (David Messer)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: ANSWERS: Reprogramming, plume, etc...
Message-ID: <1468@viper.Lynx.MN.Org>
Date: 4 Oct 88 19:47:03 GMT
References: <981@netxcom.UUCP> <1952@kalliope.rice.edu>
Reply-To: dave@viper.Lynx.MN.Org (David Messer)
Organization: Lynx Data Systems, Eagan, MN
Lines: 35

In article <1952@kalliope.rice.edu> phil@Rice.edu (William LeFebvre) writes:
 >In article <981@netxcom.UUCP> ewiles@netxcom.UUCP (Edwin Wiles) writes:
 >>	a) EXTREMELY LIMITED MEMORY!!!  Anyone nowadays can go into
 >>	a store and purchase more computing power and memory than
 >>	all five of the Shuttle computers combined.
 >
 >At the time the on-board computers were designed and built, this was not
 >the case.

Another thing is that there weren't any VLSI chips that were
"Space-Rated" when the shuttle was designed.  Try building a
computer, with strict power and heat limits, when all you can
use is small and medium-scale ICs.

 >There were no available replacement fuses on the shuttle.  One had to be
 >sent up from the ground.  BY DESIGN, nothing important is close to the
 >launch pad---they probably had to send one out from the VAB, 3 miles away.

Are you saying that NASA was worried that an accident on the
pad would wipe-out their supply of fuses?  What were the
astronauts supposed to do if a fuse blew when they were on
orbit -- ask for one to be sent from the VAB?

This does seem to be a case of poor contingency planning --
like the time they didn't have a wrench when they needed it.
-- 
If you can't convince |   David Messer - (dave@Lynx.MN.Org)
them, confuse them.   |   Lynx Data Systems
   -- Harry S Truman  | 
                      |   amdahl   --!bungia!viper!dave
                      |   hpda    /

Copyright 1988 David Messer -- All Rights Reserved
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