Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ames.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hao!ames!eugene From: eugene@ames.UUCP (Eugene Miya) Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Re: Computer Shuttle Landing Message-ID: <706@ames.UUCP> Date: Sat, 15-Dec-84 17:22:02 EST Article-I.D.: ames.706 Posted: Sat Dec 15 17:22:02 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 19-Dec-84 03:25:12 EST References: <-2700@tektools.UUCP> <73300001@hpfclq.UUCP> <18025@lanl.ARPA> Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA Lines: 51 > >> > > > I believe the answer is "yes". I know that the on-board flight > > computers land the vehicle but I don't remember if they also inject > > the Shuttle into the re-entry path. I also think that it wasn't > > until the sixth misssion that a pilot actually landed the craft > > manually. Knowing NASA, it seems to me that they probably could land > > the Shuttle without human help for safety reasons if nothing else. No, not quite. The Shuttle is not THAT automated. You give it too much credit. > > > I remember it the other way around! I don't think the computer was > allowed to control the whole landing sequence until the fifth or sixth > flight. The reentry burn has traditionally been computer (or even > ground) controlled* but the actual landing of the shuttle is similar > enough to conventional aircraft that the final part of the landing > sequence is usually handled by the pilot. Except for the Shuttle and > some carrier based aircraft I don't think that there are ANY aircraft > that are presently even capable of fully automated landing. As I > remember, the Shuttle was landed manually for the first few flights in > order to more fully test the flight computer. Each of the first few > flights remained under computer control until successively later times > in the reentry sequence, until the computer finally landed the craft > on its own. Is there anyone out ther who actually KNOWS? > > * - Remember the problems caused when the automatic controls failed on > the Mercury flights and the pilot had to control the attitude for > the reentry burn manually. jlg is right. Some Shuttle pilots went thru here the other day, and I will be going down to Dryden next month [to look at our ELXSI] and I can inquire about reentry burn. To be fully truthful about the computers, it's a matter of degree [just like there are dozens of different types of flight simulators (some move, other don't, some don't have the pretty pictures, etc.)]. The Shuttle is not a "fly by wire" craft like a 747. Everything is digitally relayed so computers "fly" to differing degrees. A fair portion of this is due to pilot desire [everybody else at Ames is going to jump on me for this!]. We had a Director's Colloquia on the subject automating aircraft. Many PILOTs don't want this. [You read or see Tom Wolfe?] One plane to watch by the way is the X-29 which is heavily wired. --eugene miya NASA Ames Research Center {hplabs,ihnp4,dual,hao,vortex}!ames!aurora!eugene emiya@ames-vmsb.ARPA