Why Not Use PC To Make Glass Cockpit?

I looked at several of the links.. I didn't see anywhere that said it was
using those thinkpads for manuvering.
"Ted" wrote in message
ink.net...
Never the less, its a vehicle traveling at mach 25 and uses laptops as the
human interface to manage attitude, thrusters, environmental control and
life support, communications, electrical power and robotic systems.

Gig Giacona wrote in message ...
Well Ted, that's hardly a cockpit and I doubt the space station is going
to
have to navigate in the clouds anytime soon or with anybody on board.



The Space Station uses IBM 760xd laptops for their glass cockpit.


http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/...l/sts105-304-0
25.html


http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/.../iss002e5478.h
tml


http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/.../iss003e5552.h
tml

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=213


http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk65...study09186a008
00b53b6.shtml

The IBM 760 laptops are used on the space station in three classes of
service: PCS, SSC and Payload Laptop.

There does seem to be a scarcity of information on the net about the PCS
function. This is all I could find.
http://www.hal-pc.org/~slcweb2/0Mont...Nasa/Space.rtf

When the IBM 760 is loaded with PCS software it can perform the command and
control interface to the Station itself. When the laptops are loaded with
SSC software and are connected to a ten base 2 coax network called the Ops
LAN they can perform typical office automation functions like email and
displaying procedure text files. They even have IP phone software on the
SSCs so the crew can make standard telephone calls from space as of they
were an extension on the Johnson Space Center phone system.

http://www.techbriefs.com/spinoff/sp...1/johnson.html

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk65...study09186a008
00b53b6.shtml



Gig Giacona wrote in message ...

I looked at several of the links.. I didn't see anywhere that said it was
using those thinkpads for manuvering.

"Ted" wrote in message

The Space Station uses IBM 760xd laptops for their glass cockpit.



http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/...l/sts105-304-0
25.html



http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/.../iss002e5478.h
tml



http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/.../iss003e5552.h
tml

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=213



http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk65...study09186a008
00b53b6.shtml