I just received the Space Shuttle DVD from World Space Flight
News. It has just about every type of shuttle manual
including the:
Hewlett-Packard 41 Calculator/Shuttle Portable
Onboard Computer Training Manual.
It's a 45 page manual dated November 1985. It covers both
the HP-41 and the Grid Computer. A lot of it covers pretty
basic HP-41 operating procedures.
But there are a few tidbits of interest:
1. HP-41C were used on the early flights. They were retired
to be used as training units once the HP-41CV became available.
What's interesting is that they did not use the HP-41CX,
even though they were using the time module on some programs.
2. The 41C was outfitted with x-functions, two x-memory
and the time module under normal use.
3. Programming is not covered.
4. All of the shuttle flight programs must be run in
the User mode.
5. Programs are loaded from the digitial cassette drive.
Reading in the programs also reassigns the keys,
initializes the variabes and sets the flags.
6. A brief description is given for the six programs:
Center of Gravity
Orbit
Alarm/Hex
Landing
Proximity Operations
Tail
7. Now for the real teaser - They refer you to the
"HP-41 Flight Procedures Handbook" for details
on each program. That handbook is not on the DVD and,
so far, I can find no other reference to it.
8. One very interesting plug in module is the
"HP-41 Tone Amplifer". This would plug in place
of one of the other modules and be used with the
Alarm/Hex program.
That's about it. Sure wish I could find that HP-41
Flight Procedures Handbook.
Bill
Go back to the main exhibit hall