Properties of a Pocket Calculator for Astronauts

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(09-06-2019 02:08 PM)toml_12953 Wrote:  The control handle wasn't mechanically linked to the nozzles.

But even if the astronauts would have full manual control over their thrusters, they would not know how to orient them in order to follow their trajectory.
The position of the spacecraft in space as well as it's attitude are measured by gyroscopes and accelerometers that feed their raw signals directly into the computer. We all know that a modern pocket calculator can easily solve the equations involved in this task in real time, but without a connection to the sensors it will be totally useless.

So if a calculator on board a spacecraft should really be able to back-up the onboard computers then it needs to have it's own inertial navigation system built in... And no, the solid state accelerometers (and/or "gyros" as they wrongly call them) that are built into our smartphones are not remotely capable to do that.

At one time Neil Armstrong demanded to get a full manual control over the ascent engine of the Lunar Module. In case they had to fly home from the moon in an emergency situation. But they quickly convinced him that without a way to know where exactly to steer manual control of the engine is as good as no engine at all.

Regards
Max