Properties of a Pocket Calculator for Astronauts

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(09-12-2019 04:50 PM)Gene222 Wrote:  ...At 1:17 minutes into the video, it shows the cockpit instrumentation, which appears to be all computer controlled.

It must be, because flying a powerless aircraft from orbit (speed 8000m/s) to a gliding landing at a fixed point is way, way, way beyond the capabilites of the humand mind, no matter how much experience or training one has accumulated. The same applies to landing on the moon. And because these tasks require permanent real-time computation a pocket calculator is no use at all.

The flight simulator program X-Plane (https://www.x-plane.com/) contains a simulation of the complete Space-Shuttle de-orbit and landing sequence. Takes close to 30 minutes but is a real eye-opener...

Regards
Max