Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ubvax!vsi1!apple!kazim
From: kazim@Apple.COM (Alex Kazim)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Spencer's signature
Summary: A Kick in the Butt
Keywords: NASA, Shuttle, computers
Message-ID: <19968@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 4 Nov 88 18:39:57 GMT
References: <2074@kalliope.rice.edu> <6400017@cpe>
Followup-To: Is the Dream Alive
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 27

The Dream Is Alive, but not at NASA...

Spencer mau have a point.  I was at the Johnson Space Ctr in Houston looking
at the shuttle computer facilities, and quite frankly, I was flabbergasted
at the "stone age" NASA made their astronauts use.

The portable computer (SPoC) is a modified GRID whose technology is only four
years old.  The software running on it was quite sophisticated.  But this is
considered cutting edge there! The department that got the machines on the
shuttle was a non-critical research arm with no risk-management, but they 
still had to fight several political battles just to get it up.

When I told them I could put a box on their desk that was 5 times as powerful
and a fifth the cost, they stared at me.  "You can do that?  Wow, that would
be neat, but I don't think the management would go for it."

I have to hand it to the engineers there.  They've done some great things
with stone axes and animal bones.  But enough is enough.  It's time NASA
took some direction in innovation.

The Dream is Alive!
It's just buried under Red Tape.

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This soapbox has been brought to you by:
Alex Kazim, Apple Computer
My opinions, but Apple pays me anyway
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