Conference 7.286::space

573.0. "VAX 6000 on the shuttle" by MILKWY::MORRISON (Bob M. LMO2/P41 296-5357) Wed Oct 25 1989 18:10

Livewire U.S. News  Oct. 23, 1989

                 Digital delivers Mil-Spec VAX computer to NASA 

  Digital has delivered a powerful VAX computer system to the National 
  Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA) to pioneer high tech experiments 
  in space.

  Under the program, a militarized version of the commercial VAX 6000 series 
  computer technology developed by Raytheon Company, a Digital licensee, 
  has been modified to meet military specifications for space travel as part 
  of NASA's Data Systems Experiment (DSE).  The DSE program will support the 
  development of a new initiative for the space shuttle system under the 
  "Hitchhiker" program.  This modified Mil-Spec VAX computer will be launched 
  on a future shuttle mission.  The computer will be the most powerful ever 
  used in space exploration by NASA, delivering several times the compute 
  power of current systems aboard the space shuttle. 

  "In this experiment, NASA also will be pioneering the use of standard 
  commercial software in sophisticated space experiments," said Harvey 
  Weiss, vice president, Government Systems/Marketing. "The experiments will 
  be conducted on Digital's VAX/VMS operating system, which is the same 
  software used commercially on thousands of VAX computers around the world.  
  This will be a tremendous cost savings because it will allow thousands of 
  standard commercial software programs to be used in space, eliminating the 
  need for many custom written software programs. 

  "The DSE program promises to open a new era in computer-based experiments 
  in space, and we share the same pride in participating in the VAX computer 
  for space program that we did in the Voyager's billion-mile journey to 
  Neptune," he said.  Photographs of Neptune sent back to earth by Voyager 
  were developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory using an image enhancement 
  process that employed a cluster of Digital's VAX computers.  

  The Mil-Spec computer has been modified by Raytheon to resist the rigors 
  of space travel, such as the extreme forces of a rocket launch, the vacuum 
  of space and the temperature extremes of the intended application.  The 
  increased computer power and expanded software library and tools will 
  enable space system engineers to address a variety of complicated space 
  problems.  Experiments in robotics, artificial intelligence, signal processing
  and experiment data analysis and reduction now can be considered in the 
  realm of space-borne computers.   

  Headquartered in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon is a diversified, international, 
  technology-based company active in electronics, aviation, appliances, 
  industry services and publishing.

My comments: Mil-spec VAXes have been around for years, but this VAX was ob-
viously built to tighter specs than other mil-spec units. Does anyone reading
this know "the rest of the story" about why NASA is going to put a VAX on the
shuttle? Is this VAX really going to be exposed to a vacuum or did the writer
mean that it will be exposed to the unusually low air pressure of the shuttle
interior? How will mass storage be provided? Can a hard disk withstand the
forces of a shuttle launch?

    Two years ago I worked on an applications software package that was
    field tested at NASA Goddard.  They were using it as part of their 
    telerobotics lab where they were working on advanced development of
    the manipulator system to be used on the space station.  While visiting
    the site, some assistant administrator (I don't remember his name) told
    us that NASA was anxiously waiting for flight qualified VAX's to be 
    available due to the portability of the software applications.  Right
    now, experiment applications are written on VAX/VMS where once the
    experiment is chosen for flight, the application must be rewritten for
    IBM architecture (in the case of the shuttle).  The post Challenger
    Rogers Report lists this as an area of concern where software rewrites
    and checking are another point of possible failure (not to mention
    costly).                        

    I would ass*u*me that the actual hardware is from the Raytheon 8XX
    series, which are implementations of the VAX architecture that are
    compliant with MIL-SPEC systems (in terms of ruggedness, power needs,
    rad hardness, etc.) and thus suitable for spaceflight.

    Now, how about replacing all the shuttle sequencers with VAXes?  I
    guess that will take a while longer..... :-)
    
    			Steve

VNS COMPUTER NEWS:                            [Tracy Talcott, VNS Computer Desk]
==================                            [Nashua, NH, USA                 ]

     Digital - "NASA Puts VAX Through Paces for Space Flight"

   At the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space
 Flight Center, a militarized version of the VAX 6000 will undergo
 environmental and vibration testing during the next few weeks to prepare for
 the Shuttle launch in November. The VAX, equipped with a 350M-byte erasable
 optical disc and standard VMS software, will run high-tech experiments
 involving robots back on Earth. The space project is a joint effort between
 NASA, Digital, and Raytheon. The modified VAX will be the most powerful
 computer ever used in space exploration by NASA.

	{Computerworld, 8-Jan-90, p. 25} {MISG}

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    Do we have any more information on this, 
    Has this VAX flown yet?
    If so when, and did it all go to plan?
    
    				Regards Greg Harris @SNO

    No, not yet.
    
    It's slated for STS-39 (the next scheduled flight).
    
    See the STS-39 note - there is some additional information on SpaceVAX
    buried in the replies.
    
    - dave