17 Feb
1999
17 Feb
'99
4:09 p.m.
<I guess we'll have to see what information is available on the net about
<that January 1986 event. I do seem to recall that the flight was about 2
<minutes 10+ seconds underway when the ship hit the fan, so to speak. The
<entire trip into orbit only required about 8.5 minutes, so they were a fai
<piece of the way along.
It was exactly at T+73 seconds and Christa's mother is my next door neighbor
then and now. It was post max-Q transistion at main engine power up. Every
time I see a launch I get a knot at that time. FYI the speed attained at
that point is some 3600mph far from orbital velocity.
FYI: TLC had a special on space flight just that last week and that footage
was part of it. It's a reminder that I didn't need.
Allison
17 Feb
17 Feb
5:49 p.m.
New subject: [OT] Space shuttle explosions and computers (was Re: Who invented the internet?)
Allison wrote:
FYI the speed attained at
that point is some 3600mph far from orbital velocity.
I'm not sure how to parse that. Are you saying that it was traveling at
3600 MPH, which is far from orbital velocity (i.e., a missing comma), or
that it was travelling at 3600 MPH less than orbital velocity?
(In any case, the use of the word velocity is incorrect. Velocity is
a vector, as I had drilled into me in Physics class.)
The NASA reference I posted earlier claims:
At this point in its trajectory, while traveling at a Mach number
of 1.92 at an altitude of 46,000 feet, the Challenger was totally
enveloped in the explosive burn.
The best information I have suggests that the Space Shuttle does not
use the Honeywell DDP-516 in any capacity, and that engine control is performed
by the some of the IOP processors that are part of the IBM AP-101S
computers. The entire AP-101S, including both the GPC and IOP, occupies
about 0.025 cubic meters, masses about 30 Kg, and consumes about 550 W.
A DDP-516 occupies about 2.5 cubic meters, masses about 250 Kg, and consumes
over 1000 W.
The AP-101S replaced an earlier AP-101B computer that was twice the size.
Anybody know where I can find one for my collection? :-)
6:22 p.m.
New subject: [OT] Space shuttle explosions and computers (was Re: Who invented the internet?)
Eric Smith wrote:
Allison wrote:
Jerome Fine replies:
If Allison was able to see the screen while she was sending that
reply, then the "missing" comma is not the only thing that Eric
Smith seems to be missing. I can still remember that day in
a far more vivid manner than I care to recall how I felt and
how sad the whole of the US was in regard to the fatalities.
A neighbour who lost a part of her life in that tragedy is
more than sufficient justification to drop a comma, let alone
be reason enough to use velocity as opposed to speed.
So Eric Smith is technically correct. But, in my humble
opinion, it is he, not Allison who is missing something!!
FYI the speed attained at
that point is some 3600mph far from orbital velocity.
I'm not sure how to parse that. Are you saying that it was traveling at
3600 MPH, which is far from orbital velocity (i.e., a missing comma), or
that it was travelling at 3600 MPH less than orbital velocity?
(In any case, the use of the word velocity is incorrect. Velocity is
a vector, as I had drilled into me in Physics class.) The NASA reference I posted earlier claims:
At this point in its trajectory, while traveling at a Mach number
of 1.92 at an altitude of 46,000 feet, the Challenger was totally
enveloped in the explosive burn.
The best information I have suggests that the Space Shuttle does not
use the Honeywell DDP-516 in any capacity, and that engine control is performed
by the some of the IOP processors that are part of the IBM AP-101S
computers. The entire AP-101S, including both the GPC and IOP, occupies
about 0.025 cubic meters, masses about 30 Kg, and consumes about 550 W.
A DDP-516 occupies about 2.5 cubic meters, masses about 250 Kg, and consumes
over 1000 W.
The AP-101S replaced an earlier AP-101B computer that was twice the size.
Anybody know where I can find one for my collection? :-)
I suggest that you wait for an appropriate time and do not link the AP-101S
to the Shuttle program for a while. Please give Allison some time to heal those
scars which will never disappear.
Allison, please accept this apology from the rest of the group, as well as from
Eric Smith (I would hope) for any insensitive treatment of you remarks.
Sincerely yours,
Jerome Fine
7:41 p.m.
New subject: [OT] Space shuttle explosions and computers (was Re: Who invented the internet?)
So Eric Smith is technically correct. But, in my
humble
opinion, it is he, not Allison who is missing something!!
Allison, please accept this apology from the rest of the group, as well as
from Eric Smith (I would hope) for any insensitive treatment of you remarks.
I did not intend any disrespect to anyone, and apologize if any offense was
given. I, too, was shocked and appalled by the disaster. (And at the
incredible stupidity that caused the disaster, but that's another story.) I
am reminded of the disaster twice every day when I drive past Onizuka Air
Force Base. However, I invite Jerome to explain it to me off the list
exactly what I am "missing".
I suggest that you wait for an appropriate time and do
not link the AP-101S
to the Shuttle program for a while.
I suggest that this is going way overboard. Maybe I was an asshole for asking
about the comma (which I intended only as a real question to find out
precisely what Allison meant). Maybe I was an asshole for mentioning that
velocity != speed. I'll gladly to apologize for both of those statements,
even though I intended no offense or disrespect. But AFAIK there is no other
context in which to discuss the AP-101S, and it is on-charter for this mailing
list since it is a computer that is more than ten years old. If a mere
mention of an AP-101B or AP-101S is enough to give offense, I am *NOT* going
to aplogize for that, and if 13 years isn't an appropriate length of time, I
doubt that a human lifetime is either. Anyone offended by mere mention of the
AP-101B, AP-101S, DDP-516, Space Shuttle, or any other object or concept
I happen to mention on this list are hereby invited to add my email address
to their kill files.
Eric
18 Feb
18 Feb
5:12 a.m.
New subject: [OT] Space shuttle explosions and computers (was Re: Who invented the internet?)
At 06:41 AM 2/18/99 -0000, you wrote:
> So Eric Smith is technically correct. But, in my
humble
> opinion, it is he, not Allison who is missing something!!
>
> Allison, please accept this apology from the rest of the group, as well as
> from Eric Smith (I would hope) for any insensitive treatment of you
remarks.
I did not intend any disrespect to anyone, and apologize if any offense was
given. I, too, was shocked and appalled by the disaster. (And at the
incredible stupidity that caused the disaster, but that's another story.) I
am reminded of the disaster twice every day when I drive past Onizuka Air
Force Base. However, I invite Jerome to explain it to me off the list
exactly what I am "missing".
Eric,
When you find out let me know too. I read his tirad but I don't
understand it either. I especially don't understand his remarks about the
computer.
Joe
3 Mar
3 Mar
9:16 a.m.
New subject: Space shuttle computers
(Just reaching the Internet/Shuttle thread :)
The best information I have suggests that the Space
Shuttle does not
use the Honeywell DDP-516 in any capacity, and that engine control is performed
by the some of the IOP processors that are part of the IBM AP-101S
computers. The entire AP-101S, including both the GPC and IOP, occupies
about 0.025 cubic meters, masses about 30 Kg, and consumes about 550 W.
A DDP-516 occupies about 2.5 cubic meters, masses about 250 Kg, and consumes
over 1000 W.
AFAIK the first generation of rocket controll computers
(thrust, angle, etc.) had HDC-601 processors (with plate
wire core mem), And if I'm not completly wrong, the HDC-601
is a DDP-516 compatible system. I don't know if the shuttle
engines have been equipped with them, since the actual
controlers are (since the mid 80s) are based on 68.000
processors.
And for the AF-101, I always belived the last core mem unit
was named AF-101F not B, as mentioned in another message. In
fact, I love the idea of using a /370s design CPU - It's just
the best OPcode design ever :)
BTW, does anybody know if a new design is planed ?
Gruss
H.
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
9273
days inactive
9287
days old
5 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
allisonp＠world.std.com -
eric＠brouhaha.com -
Hans.Franke＠mch20.sbs.de -
jhfine＠idirect.com -
rigdonj＠intellistar.net