cobb@NBS-VMS@sri-unix (06/23/82)
The following is fuzzily remembered information from an
unknown source, but for what it's worth:
I seem to remember that the shuttle computers (five per shuttle,
built by IBM) were originally designed for Hughes to use in
their sooper-dooper radar/fire-control system for the F-15
fighter plane. The design was frozen in 1973. They probably
use MSI TTL technology, which is old and grundgy but has proven
reliable in practice, especially when built to MIL specs.
EXIT INFO MODE; ENTER FLAME MODE:
A partnership between NASA and the military isn't necessarily
such a bad thing. After all, we've had one 'de facto' for the
last twenty years, and it hasn't hurt us that much. If you doubt
that, consider:
-well over half the astronauts (at least, up 'til the current
crop) started out as military jet jocks...
-a great deal of NASA's hardware is derived from military
equipment (examples: the Shuttle computers \and/ the software
reliability methodology for them; NASA's boosters, which are
all derived from ICBM's (Redstone, Atlas, and Titan \are/ ICBM's);
also the space suits, the tracking stations, etc...
-there is stuff out there which needs protecting. Losing a
bunch of comsats would play hell with domestic communications.
Losing some of our recon or early-warning satellites would
undoubtedly put the military on red alert. While the Soviets can't
(yet) shoot down a group of satellites at once, they are getting
better at it. And think what a beautiful target a space factory
or colony would make for some random terrorist!
No, I'm not trying to spread the Cold War into space. But the
military-NASA partnership has been beneficial to both sides in
the past; the reflexive distaste that this list seems to have for
the military is a little strange. No matter how fast and how far
the pioneers moved west in the last century, there always came a
time when they yelled for the cavalry, and were damned glad the
cavalry was right behind them. We will be (we hope to be) building
some big, expensive, and useful installations in space in the next
few years, and there will undoubtedly be those who want to take
them away from us. It doesn't make sense to go out unprotected.
Sorry for flaming so much,
Stewart