trailboss99 997 Posted January 21, 2009 He's allmost right Alpha. His cell is a cert to be more advanced than the shuttle was before they went glass cockpit. It may be the most complicated machine ever built but the avionics (astronics?) and computronics were very simple indeed. As for the sub, rather protective of that prop ain't they? Col. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alphakazi 0 Posted January 21, 2009 that's a pic of a modern space shuttle of today with glass cockpit and not of one from 10 years ago and no John, there is no ole windows OS running there Discovery > John's cell Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 21, 2009 Well, the truth is, that the space shuttle should be LESS complicated, not MORE. Look at the Russians... NASA spent millions of dollars developing a ball point pen that would work in zero gee. The Russians just used a pencil. Who is the dumbshit, really? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alphakazi 0 Posted January 21, 2009 NASA is dumb but to make up for it, I hear their working on a special ink bottle and feather for future missions Nasa didn't invent the space pen - Fisher Pen Company did and NASA chose to use it in 1967 for the Apollo astronauts. It works in extreme temperatures, underwater and writes on many types of surfaces. Pencils caused a concern regarding lead dust floating around the capsule and if the tip broke off, it could drift into electronics and since lead is conductive.... not good NASA > Roskosmos Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 21, 2009 NASA is dumb but to make up for it, I hear their working on a special ink bottle and feather for future missions Nasa didn't invent the space pen - Fisher Pen Company did and NASA chose to use it in 1967 for the Apollo astronauts. It works in extreme temperatures, underwater and writes on many types of surfaces. Pencils caused a concern regarding lead dust floating around the capsule and if the tip broke off, it could drift into electronics and since lead is conductive.... not good NASA > Roskosmos But pencils are made out of graphite now... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alphakazi 0 Posted January 21, 2009 graphite is an electrical conductor also... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 21, 2009 graphite is an electrical conductor also... Okay but I can make a suction/pencil sharpener cheaper than it cost NASA to make that pen... your turn. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alphakazi 0 Posted January 22, 2009 that would be awesome John but alas, it doesn't prevent the tip breaking off in a rare accident and it getting into the cooling vents on a computer system - bzzzzzz - uh Huston... we have a problem Huston : fuck, why did we listen to John to save a couple mill considering we spent $ 170,000,000,000 (and counting) on the shuttle program k, your turn... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 22, 2009 that would be awesome John but alas, it doesn't prevent the tip breaking off in a rare accident and it getting into the cooling vents on a computer system - bzzzzzz - uh Huston... we have a problem Huston : fuck, why did we listen to John to save a couple mill considering we spent $ 170,000,000,000 (and counting) on the shuttle program k, your turn... But aren't nuts and washers conductors too? Because couldn't, in one or your "rare accidents", some other very small conductive object get loose and then sucked into the vents of a computer system? k, your turn... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trailboss99 997 Posted January 22, 2009 Alpha beat me to it on the pen but you're totaly correct about the shuttle being far too complicated. Space is one place the KISS principle should be applied with extreme prejudice. If it ain't there, it can't break can it? The shuttle's planed replacement, now caned is a lot simpler in design and far more efficent. Unfortunatly NASA has a nasty habit of learning by disaster. Seiko are about to learn this I suspect. Their new electronic "space watch" is a good example. Can't wait for the first decent solar flare. And it costs 14000 bucks compared with a few grand for a Speedmaster (Or, 400 bucks for a rep one ). I know which I'd rather trust and it ain't the Seiko! Col. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alphakazi 0 Posted January 22, 2009 Because couldn't, in one or your "rare accidents", some other very small conductive object get loose and then sucked into the vents of a computer system? yes, that is why these things are continuing to be refined over the years to minimize risk - that includes not using a pencil k, your turn I agree with you Col. Keep It Simple Stupid in regards to the mechanical aspect but as for computer avionics, keeping it simple actually means making it more advanced - current microprocessors built on a 45nm process contain almost 1 billion transistors which approximately double every two years - so although the frame work on the whole system should be as simple as possible, the tech will be very advanced and very reliable - kinda of like the era of solid state - now even hard drives are made solid state with much longer mean times before failures (no moving parts) so mechanically it's simpler but technologically, much more advanced. as for watches in space - ah, one of my favs.... FORTIS 2007 Further construction of the ISS - International Space Station and preparations for the launch of the research modules Columbus and Kibo. 2007 Limited Edition FORTIS FLIEGER CHRONOGRAPH ALARM PLATINUM, 2nd place in “The Golden Balance Wheel†award category up to 25.000 Euro. 2006 The high altitude research rocket MAXUS 7 was launched in May for a 13-minutes flight in zero gravity. On board, the FORTIS B-42 OFFICIAL COSMONAUTS CHRONOGRAPH. 2005 Exactly 10 years after the first official flight FORTIS remains as the exclusive supplier of manned space missions authorized by the Russian Federal Space Agency. The FORTIS B-42 OFFICIAL COSMONAUT CHRONOGRAPH floating in space on board the ISS, International Space Station. 2004 “Four years, more than 700 days walking through 11,000 km of Arctic Tundra, 10 million footsteps in the snow of four winters…†Gilles Elkaim approached his final 28 km stretch of this unique expedition with excitement. On this wild and unforgiving trek from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, the Frenchman wore the FORTIS OFFICIAL COSMONAUTS CHRONOGRAPH. 2004 Winner of the “1st European Aviation Watch Awardâ€: FORTIS FLIEGER CHRONOGRAPH AUTOMATIC. 2003 Presentation of the new FORTIS OFFICIAL COSMONAUTS CHRONOGRAPH in the striking B-42 design. 2002 World height record for helicopters of 12,954 meters, set by French pilot Fred North with his AS 350B helicopter â€ECUREUILâ€. Along for the ride: the FORTIS B-42 PILOT PROFESSIONAL CHRONOGRAPH. 2001 No. 1 International Watch Award in Japan. The FORTIS OFFICIAL COSMONAUTS CHRONOGRAPH won the watch magazine “BEGIN†grand prix in the category for space watches. 2001 “Star of the Blue Planet†FORTIS was presented with this medal of honour from the Russian Space Agency Rosaviakosmos for commitment to the development of mechanical chronographs for space travel. 2001 â€GTS†Global Transmission Services. The first experiment on board the International Space Station - ISS was to test the global synchronization of wristwatches from space. Deeply involved in the world of aviation and space, FORTIS takes part in the development of a new radiocontrolled signal in cooperation with the European Space Agency ESA, the German Aerospace Center DLR and DaimlerChrysler Research. 2000 FORTIS SPACEMATIC - The Next Generation. With this collection, FORTIS takes a giant step into the new millennium. 2000 Millennium Expedition to the South Pole. New Year's Eve 1999-2000: Austrian Ernst Zinnhobler became the first European to make an extreme jump over the South Pole. He jumped from the icy height of 5,000 m, his speed of fall reaching 250 km/h, accompanied by a FORTIS CHRONOGRAPH. 1998 The world's first Automatic Chronograph with integrated mechanical Alarm. Patent EP 0806712. 1997 The FORTIS OFFICIAL COSMONAUTS CHRONOGRAPH was chosen to be the official watch of the German-Russian space mission MIR 97. 1995 The world height record - 30,000 meter the FORTIS chronographs were on the pilot's wrist as they set the world height record flight on a non-experimental MiG-25 PU double seater aircraft, flown by Alexander Garnaev & Alexandre Paringaux. 1994 After endurance tests on the margins of physics, the Star City Training Center chose the FORTIS OFFICIAL COSMONAUTS CHRONOGRAPH as part of their official cosmonauts equipment. The space mission â€EUROMIR 1†crew was the first to be presented with the FORTIS COSMONAUTS SET and became the world's first automatic chrongraph in open space outside the space station. 1992 Fortis steps into space with its first SPACE ART EDITION on board of the first art painted spacecraft, a Russian Proton rocket. Limited Andora Edition FORTIS STRATOLINER AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH. 1987 The company's 75th anniversary FORTIS set a trend with their new edition of the FLIEGER AUTOMATIC collection, known as the world's first factory of automatic wristwatches. 1956 FORTIS wins the leading Chronometer award conferred by the Swiss institute for official time keeping tests, for the first water-resistant mechanical alarm chronometer. 1954 FORTIS begins the manufacturing and the world wide distribution of mechanical alarm watches. 1943 FORTIS was among the range of Swiss brands with high technical expertise. Alongside the production of most precise mechanical chronographs FORTIS shows its excellence in presenting the first water-resistant wristwatches. 1937 On the occasion of the company's 25th anniversary, FORTIS manufactures their first chronographs. 1912 The watch factory is founded in Grenchen, Switzerland by Walter Vogt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 22, 2009 Wow, a watch floating out in space! That's cool! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alphakazi 0 Posted January 22, 2009 Wow, a watch floating out in space! That's cool! in asynchronous orbit no less Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 22, 2009 yeah, low earth asynchronous Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
