akp@isrnix.UUCP (12/13/83)
#N:isrnix:4300001:000:182 isrnix!akp Dec 12 01:34:00 1983 <=> What caliber of computer do the shuttles use? Are they comparable to VAXen? PDP-11? Cyber 855? Apple? Relax, be vague. -- Allan Pratt ...decvax!ihnp4!iuvax!isrnix!akp
ultra@cmcl2.UUCP (12/13/83)
#R:isrnix:4300001:cmcl2:13800001:000:1009 cmcl2!ultra Dec 13 00:31:00 1983 The shuttle processors are standard avionics processors, 16 bit, whose design was fixed around 1975. I.e., off-the-shelf (if your shelf contains various parts for F-15s). It is programmed in HAL/S, an ALGOL-like language. There are no special features in the processor design itself (other than MIL-spec chips): reliability is in the 4-way voting bus, and the 5th backup processor running operating system and code from another manufacturer (maybe Rockwell). Like a PDP-11, but probably more like an AN/YUK-7. There is a "Space Shuttle Operator's Handbook" you can get in bookstores which has a reasonable level of detail, I think more than you can get by paging through back issues of Aviation Week. It is in general a good book to get (I gave mine away to a project at MITRE which is doing some knowledge-based systems demos for shuttle tasks such as crew activity planning and fuel loading). Lars Ericson (direct personal queries to ARPANET: Lars.Ericson@CMUA UseNet: ..cmcl2!csd1!ericson)