Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
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Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#2I am fascinated they used 60 pounds and a large amount of space for this teleprinter. At 30K per pound of payload that is $1.8 million per flight. Really shows how important reliable printed updates were considered.
And all the flaws of the printer that were managed around - turning it off to save power and prevent it overheating with specific tones.
Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#3I am fascinated they used 60 pounds and a large amount of space for this teleprinter. At 30K per pound of payload that is $1.8 million per flight. Really shows how important reliable printed updates were considered. And all the flaws of the printer that were managed around - turning it off to save power and prevent it overheating with specific tones.
I was pretty stuck by that, too, and it made me wonder if maybe I don't understand or underestimate the value of paper transmission. I suppose if radio communication is good but flaky, or for persistence of instruction, like procedures, then it would be good for them to be able to print. But at such a cost!
Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#4I am fascinated they used 60 pounds and a large amount of space for this teleprinter. At 30K per pound of payload that is $1.8 million per flight. Really shows how important reliable printed updates were considered. And all the flaws of the printer that were managed around - turning it off to save power and prevent it overheating with specific tones.
> I am fascinated they used 60 pounds and a large amount of space for this teleprinter.
IIRC the Zion space habitat in Neuromancer had a state-of-the-art line printer which at one point spews continuous-fold paper into the weightless environment.
They had however got rid of the slide-rules that were essential in early-era Arthur C Clarke spaceships
Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#5X (twitter) is useless for threads unless you're logged in. How can I read this thread?
Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#6I am fascinated they used 60 pounds and a large amount of space for this teleprinter. At 30K per pound of payload that is $1.8 million per flight. Really shows how important reliable printed updates were considered. And all the flaws of the printer that were managed around - turning it off to save power and prevent it overheating with specific tones.
I was pretty stuck by that, too, and it made me wonder if maybe I don't understand or underestimate the value of paper transmission. I suppose if radio communication is good but flaky, or for persistence of instruction, like procedures, then it would be good for them to be able to print. But at such a cost!
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Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#7X (twitter) is useless for threads unless you're logged in. How can I read this thread?
Yeah somebody should mirror it. In general I dont understand why people post things like this on X. Its a horrible platform.
Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was pretty stuck by that, too, and it made me wonder if maybe I don't understand or underestimate the value of paper transmission. I suppose if radio communication is good but flaky, or for persistence of instruction, like procedures, then it would be good for them to be able to print. But at such a cost!
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This is true, but in hindsight only a partial success. A good chunk of the communists weren't. :-/
Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#9I am fascinated they used 60 pounds and a large amount of space for this teleprinter. At 30K per pound of payload that is $1.8 million per flight. Really shows how important reliable printed updates were considered. And all the flaws of the printer that were managed around - turning it off to save power and prevent it overheating with specific tones.
I was pretty stuck by that, too, and it made me wonder if maybe I don't understand or underestimate the value of paper transmission. I suppose if radio communication is good but flaky, or for persistence of instruction, like procedures, then it would be good for them to be able to print. But at such a cost!
I guess with modern googles one would just pack an "ipad" equivalent tablet. If one worries about accidents and freak space particles disabling it give them 3. If one still worries one can develop a "space rated" tablet. But probably at those radiation levels one should also start worrying about the crew's health.
But of course that is projecting our current capabilities back in time. I looked it up and the "Osborne 1" portable computer[1] was just released 9 days before the shuttle's first flight. It weighed 24.5 lb (11.1 kg) and could display 52 x 24 characters on a small CRT. So yeah, that would not be nice to read manuals with :D
Re: Space Shuttle teleprinter reverse engineering
#10X (twitter) is useless for threads unless you're logged in. How can I read this thread?
This was also posted on mastodon https://oldbytes.space/@kenshirriff/112124283096167861
(I assume it's the same post, couldn't read the one on twitter)