Which operating system is used in spacecraft?

Earl wrote in
21.8:

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in
:


The four PASS computers have a primitive OS called GCOS (don't
remember what it stands for), mostly written in AP-101S assembly
language. I don't think the BFS has an OS per se.


FCOS - Flight Computer Operating System

Thanks for the correction.

--
JRF

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"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...

The four PASS computers have a primitive OS called GCOS (don't remember
what it stands for), mostly written in AP-101S assembly language. I don't
think the BFS has an OS per se.



Is that a relative of the GCOS (derived from "GEC Operating System" IIRC)
that used to run on Honeywell large systems?

--
Dave Kenworthy
-----------------------------
Changes aren't permanent - but change is!

"Dave Kenworthy" wrote in message
...




Is that a relative of the GCOS (derived from "GEC Operating System" IIRC)
that used to run on Honeywell large systems?


I guess not, having now read the 'FCOS' correction!

--
Dave Kenworthy
-----------------------------
Changes aren't permanent - but change is!

Derek Lyons wrote:
"Michael R. Grabois ... change $ to \"s\""
wrote:

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 10:52:10 -0700, "Tweak" wrote:

Which operating system/systems is currently being used in spacecrafts? Was
FlightLinux implemented as the standard? Any information you can provide
would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

The shuttle carries a number of laptop computers that run on Windows variants
(I'm not sure if the latest version is Win98 or Win2k). The ISS uses Solaris, I
think.

Nit: Those laptops are used *on* spacecraft, not *in* spacecraft, as
they are not used for control, but for administrative tasks.

Nit: Will the laptops even function on spacecraft, not onboard spacecraft?


--
http://inquisitor.i.am/ | | Ian Stirling.
---------------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------
"An enemy will usually have three courses open to him. Of these he will
select the fourth." -- Helmuth von Moltke

If you go here you will find some details on computers and language used in
space shuttle and Apollo :-


http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi.../compessay.htm

and

http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~spaceuk/stscpu/stscpu.html

http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~spaceuk/hals/hals.html
--


"Tweak" wrote in message
...
Which operating system/systems is currently being used in spacecrafts?
Was
FlightLinux implemented as the standard? Any information you can provide
would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Ian Stirling wrote in message ...
Derek Lyons wrote:
Nit: Those laptops are used *on* spacecraft, not *in* spacecraft, as
they are not used for control, but for administrative tasks.

Nit: Will the laptops even function on spacecraft, not onboard spacecraft?

Of course not. Most hard drives require at least a fractional
atmosphere in order to keep the heads floating above the drive.
Plus, most laptops rely on air cooling, again requiring at least
some atmosphere. So most laptops must be IN the spacecraft's
pressure vessel when used. Regardless of whether they could
function ON the vehicle's exterior, in practice, they're
always used IN the vehicle, though not necessarily connected
to any of the spacecraft's critical systems (except that one
would expect they're at least occasionally drawing power
from the spacecraft).

But that's picking a little too many tiny nits.

--Rich

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote:
[...]

The shuttle carries a number of laptop computers that run on Windows
variants (I'm not sure if the latest version is Win98 or Win2k).

Win98SE.

And don't the CDR and PLT use a Solaris OS when doing their landing
simulations?


The
ISS uses Solaris, I think.

Nit: Some ISS laptops (PCS) use Solaris, others (SSC) run Windows. At least
one of the SSC laptops runs Win2K - it's used as a file server.

Nit: Those laptops are used *on* spacecraft, not *in* spacecraft, as
they are not used for control, but for administrative tasks.

Nit to the nit: the ISS PCS laptops *are* used to control the station (not
the SSC laptops, which are, as you say, used for administrative tasks).

Are these directly controlling subsystems, or passing commands to the
*real* control computers? Smart terminals so to speak?

/dps

(dave schneider) wrote in
om:

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote:
[...]

The shuttle carries a number of laptop computers that run on
Windows variants (I'm not sure if the latest version is Win98 or
Win2k).

Win98SE.

And don't the CDR and PLT use a Solaris OS when doing their landing
simulations?

I believe so, but it's been so long since I looked at PILOT, I'm not sure
any more.

The
ISS uses Solaris, I think.

Nit: Some ISS laptops (PCS) use Solaris, others (SSC) run Windows. At
least one of the SSC laptops runs Win2K - it's used as a file server.

Nit: Those laptops are used *on* spacecraft, not *in* spacecraft,
as they are not used for control, but for administrative tasks.

Nit to the nit: the ISS PCS laptops *are* used to control the station
(not the SSC laptops, which are, as you say, used for administrative
tasks).

Are these directly controlling subsystems, or passing commands to the
*real* control computers? Smart terminals so to speak?

The latter. The low-level control computers are called Multiplexer-
Demultiplexers (MDMs). They are 386/486 boxes. No user interface, just a
MIL-STD 1553 bus so the PCS laptops can command them.
--
JRF

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