steve@kontron.UUCP (Steve McIntosh) (06/29/85)
> From: Dale.Amon@CMU-RI-FAS > ... For the weight cost of those things, they could have 20 > real computers... The real cost of the computers is not the weight - they have been stripping the weight at lift off by such things as NOT painting the external fuel tank white. Leaving it with just a "primer" coat saved thousands of pounds. The cost of the computers is power - both to run them and for cooling. (By the way, just to annoy computer "purists" - I understand that there are quite a few 6502's on the shuttle running forth to do menial tasks like opening the bay doors. At least thats what one Rockwell employee who worked on the shuttle told me ) *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
@S1-A.ARPA,@MIT-MC.ARPA:Purtill.SIPB@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (06/30/85)
From: Mark Purtill <Purtill@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA>
<Fnord>
Those of you who have been wondering about the space shuttles computers
might want to chack out the September, 1984, issue of the Communications
of the ACM. It's got a special section on "computing in space,"
including an interview with some of the people at IBM who developed the
computers. For instance, it tells one that each computer weighs about
120 lbs (55 kg) and that there are five, one of which is a backup which
runs special software written independently by Rockwell. It seems to go
into detail about how the four main computers communicate and vote and
such like (I haven't actually read it yet, not having the time.)
Mark
^.-.^ Purtill at MIT-MULTICS.ARPA **Insert favorite disclaimer here**
((")) 2-032 MIT Cambrige MA 02139