The critical computer network that controls the space shuttle through launch, orbital operations and landing is the subject of technicians’ interest today as they run checks on the system on board Discovery. There are five general purpose computers at the heart of the shuttle’s control network. Although the hardware is slow by modern standards, it is fantastically reliable and built to provide several levels of redundancy.
Working inside Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians will also conduct a flight control checkout on Discovery’s Orbital Maneuvering System in advance of the shuttle’s Nov. 1 launch on the STS-133 mission.
The six STS-133 astronauts are on summer vacation this week before resuming training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.