Long Live the Steam Gage

[Yukon]

A 100 billion dollar software boondoggle unfolding..............

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4891950.html

[jcoloccia]

There's no indication this has anything to do with software. They're looking at power, best I can tell, so I guess you meant $100 billion electrical boondoggle?

Good point, though...I guess they'd have no problem running vaccum gauges up there, eh?

[Yukon]

Originally Posted by jcoloccia

There's no indication this has anything to do with software. They're looking at power, best I can tell, so I guess you meant $100 billion electrical boondoggle?

Good point, though...I guess they'd have no problem running vaccum gauges up there, eh?

"The Russian computers appeared to be stuck in a rebooting cycle, and their failure led to a number of false fire alarms. While the astronauts continued their troubleshooting, NASA officials said, nonessential power use was being restricted."




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...061402099.html

[jcoloccia]

From the same article:

He said the computers -- which were made in Germany by Daimler-Benz and were donated by the European Space Agency -- may be especially sensitive to "noise," or variations in an electric signal that can cause static. That noise, he said, may have started after the new array of solar panels was connected.

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

You know that orbitting... thing... is 20 years old now.

When you think of it... how many 20 year old pieces of technology -- or a thing that has a gazillion pieces of technology -- are still working?

[Yukon]

I don't think age is the issue. Sounds like new parts are not compatible with older parts. The computers are German, the gyros are American, the vodka is Russian, the software is.......suspect.

Drove my 24 year old car to work this week, flew a 23 year old jet, all went well.

Does anybody remember how Skylab came to be? Moon flights were getting to be too expensive, so NASA put up Skylab instead. When Mars flights were deemed too expensive, we got the space station. Wonder what's next?

[Mike S]

Originally Posted by Bob Collins

.. how many 20 year old pieces of technology -- or a thing that has a gazillion pieces of technology -- are still working?

Well, both my Stinson, and I are of 1948 vintage---------------and we both seemed to be up to the task last weekend, flew Young Eagles.

Mike

[Yukon]

Right on Mike! Sold my 108-1 a couple of years ago to build this new-fangled metal airplane! I sure miss it! Had a coffee-grinder when I bought it, but I upgraded to 90 channel Genave!

[Bob Axsom]

Originally Posted by Yukon

I don't think age is the issue. Sounds like new parts are not compatible with older parts. The computers are German, the gyros are American, the vodka is Russian, the software is.......suspect.

Drove my 24 year old car to work this week, flew a 23 year old jet, all went well.

Does anybody remember how Skylab came to be? Moon flights were getting to be too expensive, so NASA put up Skylab instead. When Mars flights were deemed too expensive, we got the space station. Wonder what's next?

Well, Skylab had nothing to do with Moon missions and the linage to the present orbiting laboratory for long term weightless experimentation and research is more direct than an accountant driven fallout of Mars mission cost. Yes, I worked on Skylab. I am not aware of any breakthrough findings resulting from either mission except Pete Conrad was one **** of an astronaut and if you are operating large nicad batteries and let them sit idle for years to save mission operations cost then expect them to wake up and provide power for any kind of surprise development you are going to be disappointed.

Oh yeah, all operating systems are electrical or optical - "software" is just a design tool if you cut an element you will not see any 1s and 0s flow out of the end. Like drawings in an airplane development. I hope they are not depending on reviewing source listings to solve the problem.

Bob Axsom

[Yukon]

Bob, I didn't say Skylab had anything to do with moon missions, I said they were undertaken in the absence of further moon missions.

Cool that you worked on Skylab! What are your perceptions of the Space Station?