Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!ucsd!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!esosun!seismo!uunet!muddcs!mwilkins
From: mwilkins@muddcs.Claremont.EDU (Mark Wilkins)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Unmanned shuttle capability?
Message-ID: <1294@muddcs.Claremont.EDU>
Date: 20 Nov 88 08:56:33 GMT
References: <350@igor.Rational.COM> <2160@kalliope.rice.edu>
Reply-To: mwilkins@muddcs.UUCP (Mark Wilkins)
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA
Lines: 19

In article <2160@kalliope.rice.edu> phil@Rice.edu (William LeFebvre) writes:

>Ascent is almost completely computer controlled (I would go so far as to
>say that it is totally computer controlled in a nominal ascent).  Landing
>is completely different.  The pilot does not just sit there.  The
>computers are controlling some of it and are providing quite a bit of
>information in the "heads up" display, but some things are definitely
>human controlled---especially the final approach, flare, and actual
>landing.

   According to astronaut Pinky Nelson of STS-26, a Harvey Mudd graduate who 
visited last week, there is a completely operational automatic landing
system on the shuttle.  Any or all of the landing can be automated, largely
to guard against the possiblity that both pilots are, for some reason,
unable to land the thing because of, say, injury.
   The problem with an automated mission is that the APUs and other
necessary systems require ongoing human maintenance during the flight.

                  -- M. Wilkins (mwilkins@muddcs.UUCP)