lev@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Brian S. Lev) (10/04/90)
In article <4148@lib.tmc.edu>, an12280@mdaali.cancer.utexas.edu (David Gutierrez) writes... >In article <3537@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> lev@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Brian S. >Lev) writes: >> P.S. - The onboard computers used in the shuttles are based VERY >strongly on >> the ol' IBM PC/XT... > >Although two days ago a friend of mine at Johnson Space Center told me >that they're switching to Mac Portables for on-board systems. As I understand it (no, I *don't* work directly on the shuttle program!), the quintuply-redundant "little" systems on board are souped-up, PC-type, units. I've also recently read (in both NASA and non-NASA publications) that a Mac portable is being hand-carried on several missions in a test; the astronauts have also been using a DOS-based laptop machine to help with navigational math, since the "main" units are too small to do that on top of all the other functions they have to worry about (!). Interesting how _quickly_ a Mac went on board, in reference to how long a portable version's been available... but now we're leaving the realm of Hypercard discussions, so anyone with further comments on this track please Email me... :-) +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Brian Lev/STX (301)286-9514 (FTS)888-9514 | | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center DECnet: SDCDCL::LEV (6153::LEV) | | Advanced Data Flow Technology Office TCP/IP: lev@dftnic.gsfc.nasa.gov | | Code 930.4 BITNET: LEV@DFTBIT | | Greenbelt, MD 20771 TELENET: [BLEV/GSFCMAIL] | | X.400 Address: (C:USA,ADMD:TELEMAIL,PRMD:GSFC,O:GSFCMAIL,UN:BLEV) | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "The ability of a network to knit together the members of a sprawling | | community has proved to be the most powerful way of fostering scienti- | | fic advancement yet discovered." -- Peter Denning | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | DISCLAIMER: THESE STATEMENTS ARE MY OWN AND *NOT* NASA'S OR STX'S! | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
omh@cs.brown.edu (Owen M. Hartnett) (10/04/90)
In article <3549@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> lev@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov writes: >>Although two days ago a friend of mine at Johnson Space Center told me >>that they're switching to Mac Portables for on-board systems. > >Interesting how _quickly_ a Mac went on board, in reference to how long a >portable version's been available... but now we're leaving the realm of >Hypercard discussions, so anyone with further comments on this track please >Email me... :-) Interesting post - that the only people who seem to be buying a Mac portable are the ones who can make it weightless. (double :-)) Sorry to further disrupt HyperCard discussions, but I couldn't resist. -Owen Owen Hartnett omh@cs.brown.edu.CSNET Brown University Computer Science omh@cs.brown.edu uunet!brunix!omh "Don't wait up for me tonight because I won't be home for a month."
andy@gistdev.gist.com (Andy Warinner) (10/05/90)
lev@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Brian S. Lev) writes: Brian Lev writes: >I've also recently read (in both NASA and non-NASA publications) that a Mac >portable is being hand-carried on several missions in a test >... >Interesting how _quickly_ a Mac went on board, in reference to how long a >portable version's been available... but now we're leaving the realm of >Hypercard discussions, so anyone with further comments on this track please >Email me... :-) Actually, we haven't left the realm of HyperCard. I was at a conference sponsored by NASA this summer. NASA is developing an expert system called "PI-in-a-Box" to assist the crew in performing scientific experiments. PI-in-a-Box will use CLIPS (an expert system shell developed by NASA) and will use HyperCard for the user interface! It is scheduled to go up on shuttle mission SLS-2 in 1992 (I am accepting wagers on this :-). I believe the Mac Portable is supposed to go up in a mission in the near future to test it out. HyperCard in Ssssssppppppppaaaaaacccccceeeeee! Andrew Warinner | "Semper ubi sub ubi" - J. Caesar GIST, Inc. | Standard | EMAIL: andy@gistdev.gist.com disclaimer... | {uunet, uiucuxc}!gistdev!andy