Properties of a Pocket Calculator for Astronauts

[toml_12953]

(09-06-2019 11:53 AM)pinkman Wrote:  

(09-06-2019 11:36 AM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Hello!


The only thing left to calculate for a pocket calculator after every other computer dies, is for how many hours the oxygen left in the cabin is going to keep the crew alive... And honestly, I would not like to know.
And all those trajectory calculations are pretty useless because the thrusters are operarted by electric valves which themselves are controlled by the (deceased) computer. It was already like that 50 years ago on Apollo. The had a simple backup computer for the ascent from the moon with a hardwired trajectory for a rendevouz. But never any control over their engines without at least one functioning computer!

Regards
Max

What about this information ?

Yes, they could compute trajectories with the HP but an on-board computer actually controlled the angles of the thruster nozzles. The control handle wasn't mechanically linked to the nozzles. All it did was send a signal to the computer which then activated the servos to rotate the thruster gimbals. The crew couldn't change the direction of the thrust manually. Without at least one working on-board computer, they couldn't use the results from the handheld calculator. It's like modern transmission dials on cars that are replacing levers. You're not actually changing the gear ratios directly by turning a dial. The computer monitors the position of the dial and sends a signal to the transmission components to do that.