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If you fly a spacecraft in real life:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-101/hires/jsc2000e10522.jpg
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-101/hires/jsc2000e10522.jpg
Too much junk, not enough window.
They would need 20 guys to fly that and monitor all the switches, buttons and panels. But they only have 2 :( Those are very brave men :)
Lol, I still think it would be cool if someone made a HUD overlay addon like this specific to every ship. And: is that spaceship powered by two pairs of bicycle pedals?
Heh, blackadder saw this on stumbleupon as well, I'm sure.
I spent like 30 minutes checking it out last night.
Cool pic!
I spent like 30 minutes checking it out last night.
Cool pic!
I like the hexadecimal numpads.
Where are the high-beams and the cup holders?
Even with upgrades, the Space Shuttle is mostly '80's tech (like the Hexa-pad). Which isn't necessarily bad since it works and simpler is often better when you're stuck in space with the nearest tow truck 100 years in the future.
We take the space program for granted but every astronaut and scientist risks their life with every mission - tip of the hat to the brave souls, of every nationality, who hazard the cold of space.
We take the space program for granted but every astronaut and scientist risks their life with every mission - tip of the hat to the brave souls, of every nationality, who hazard the cold of space.
Too much junk, not enough window.
That is why you'll never be an astronaut. You see junk, they see instruments.
That is why you'll never be an astronaut. You see junk, they see instruments.
Oo, harsh. True, though.
That is why you'll never be an astronaut. You see junk, they see instruments.
That, or it's why I'll design a more intuitive spacecraft interface :)
I know and respect the utility of instruments, but I don't want the fucking things cluttering up my view of the sea and wind when I'm heeled over close hauled, pulling 10 knots in a dangerous blow with all the sails still up. Ruins the experience of piloting the craft.
That, or it's why I'll design a more intuitive spacecraft interface :)
I know and respect the utility of instruments, but I don't want the fucking things cluttering up my view of the sea and wind when I'm heeled over close hauled, pulling 10 knots in a dangerous blow with all the sails still up. Ruins the experience of piloting the craft.
I bet Apple could design a space shuttle with only five buttons on the dashboard. It would do more things than the current shuttle and do them better, as long as you can remember how many times to push which button to make it do what you want.
Chaos - BMW tried that with its insipid iDrive, a miserable ans spectacular failure of user interface. It actually DROVE sales of pre-2002 BMW 7-series.
Awww, the iDrive isn't THAT terrible. Just avoid the iDrive interface and use voice commands :P
Or drive yourself. I think that the complexity of astronavigation sufficiently warrants the amount of instruments, quite a few of them seem to be status displays relating to the position and orientation of the craft. I also think that modern naval craft (read: ships) are quite well-endowed in the instruments department, as well, especially the ones that run very fast.
On another note, Lecter, have you ever experienced a sail to carry away? Just wondering. And if you haven't read O'Brian yet, you might want to.
On another note, Lecter, have you ever experienced a sail to carry away? Just wondering. And if you haven't read O'Brian yet, you might want to.
I bet Apple could design a space shuttle with only five buttons on the dashboard. It would do more things than the current shuttle and do them better, as long as you can remember how many times to push which button to make it do what you want.
And it would be smaller, thinner and hold twice as many songs.
And it would be smaller, thinner and hold twice as many songs.
I suspect much of the visible instrumentation are analog backups since NASA has clearly embraced the glass cockpit; if there's one thing NASA does well it's redundency.
Redundancy is nice.
Tosh: never had one just fully let go, but we did have a major issue last season while trying to jibe our spinnaker pole in some high, gusty winds. The result was a 6' tear in the sail and a less than stellar finish.
Very cool picture...I agree with Dr.L. I would like to see more of the outside. But once youre a light-year or so away from Earth, there probably isn't much to see.
Remember in in the movie "Apollo 13" how Bill Paxton as Fred Haise and Kevin Bacon as Jack Swigert had to work hard to get a good view of the earth through the wee little windows? And the wonder in their voices at their first sight of earth from space. I imagine Haise and Swigert thought Paxton and Bacon caught that moment pretty well. No such thing as line of sight navigation there.
But improving the view would also mean finding a material solution to the enormous forces the viewports would be exposed to. Does anyone know if the shuttle windows shutter closed during reentry? Maybe the heat doesn't get felt too badly on the top-side of the ship. Or the material has some sort of asbestos-like ability to absorb heat and stay clear.
What did the Boeing engineer say about plane design, "If they were built strong enough to be safe, they would be too damned heavy to fly."
Remember in in the movie "Apollo 13" how Bill Paxton as Fred Haise and Kevin Bacon as Jack Swigert had to work hard to get a good view of the earth through the wee little windows? And the wonder in their voices at their first sight of earth from space. I imagine Haise and Swigert thought Paxton and Bacon caught that moment pretty well. No such thing as line of sight navigation there.
But improving the view would also mean finding a material solution to the enormous forces the viewports would be exposed to. Does anyone know if the shuttle windows shutter closed during reentry? Maybe the heat doesn't get felt too badly on the top-side of the ship. Or the material has some sort of asbestos-like ability to absorb heat and stay clear.
What did the Boeing engineer say about plane design, "If they were built strong enough to be safe, they would be too damned heavy to fly."