Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!labrea!eos!eugene
From: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Reality (Spencer's signature)
Keywords: NASA, Shuttle, computers
Message-ID: <1863@eos.UUCP>
Date: 5 Nov 88 08:27:42 GMT
References: <2074@kalliope.rice.edu> <6400017@cpe> <19968@apple.Apple.COM>
Reply-To: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 44

In article <19968@apple.Apple.COM> kazim@Apple.COM (Alex Kazim) writes:
.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
.
.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.

Some one at Apple (perhaps Owen, any one, Erik) phone me Monday, if you
read this (as an ACK).  Checking connectivity.

On to the topic:  sure, this is what I tell you guys.  This is particular
painful to me because classmates from my undergrad days have done things
like start GRiD, help design the Mac, etc.

The problem is the cost and complexity of space missions.  You get into
an "if something isn't broke, don't fix it attitude."  The problem is
technologies change to fast.  How many of you have air bags in cars?
You CAN buy them.  What about the latest in planes?  Do you fly an A300
just because its high tech?  Lastly in the way of code, if you are willing
to change, how many of you would trust you life on any single line of
code?  That is, you take any given line of code, and you stake you life
on this (wait a minute, Reisman and I were having this conversation
with Greenblatt at Hacker's 4.0.....).  If the code doesn't work,
you die.  That's what some of our programmers go thru.  I've worked
on (space) flight rated code, but I won't touch man-rated code.
Just can quite pull the trigger in that way, yet.

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov
  resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:
  "Mailers?! HA!", "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology."
  {uunet,hplabs,ncar,decwrl,allegra,tektronix}!ames!aurora!eugene
  "Send mail, avoid follow-ups.  If enough, I'll summarize."