The HabForum

Back when I was going to Space Camp regularly, I used a near full sized printout of the shuttle cockpit panels as a trainer, since we could never get enough time in the actual trainers (and I could start practicing at home before camp). We used to call this "flying the wall", and we used to do a lot of it in the Hab late into the evening, running ascents and entries.

I still have the panels. Here's the idea. If there's interest, I could go to Kinkos and ask them to scan them in (they have a large format scanner). Then you could go down to your local Kinkos and print out a copy for yourself. I don't know what this could cost, but if there's a reasonable amount of interest, I'll do the research to find out.

i built my own shuttle cockpit mockup to practice for my final two Camp sessions (1992 and 1994). Scanners were a bit harder to come by then, so I drew out each panel on posterboards (copied straight outta my Shuttle Operators Manual). a monitor was set up to simulate the forward looking windows and i wrote a computer program to display scenes from launch, orbit, and landing for added "realism". i even had radio headsets for communication with "mission control" (usually my younger brother) who would read from a script and throw random anomalies at me. i still have a photo of the flight deck somewhere.

I work for a printing company. Scanning the panels wouldn't be such a big deal. Printing them out on large enough paper would be the challenge/expen$e. Best bet would be to split them up on 11x17" sheets and glue them together onto posterboards. I'll see if I can find my old Shuttle Ops manual tonight and scan them in.

My first version of the "wall" was printed out on 11x17s, followed by lots of jigsaw puzzle work.

The next year I got it blown up on a large format copying machine at Kinko's, and that's the version I have now. The whole forward panel is one piece, for example.

I noticed recently that Kinkos now has a scanner that can handle "blueprint sized" pieces (they may have had it for a while, for all I know. I was thinking of using that.

Probably a little more expensive than making it out of 11x17s, which are more available, but simpler to work with.

I think I have L1, L2, L4, R1, R2, R4, C2, C3, F2, F3, F4, F6, F7, F8, O1, O2, O3, O5, O6, O7, O8, O9, but that's without checking. These are the "pre glass cockpit" layouts.

I like the idea of putting them on posterboard as opposed to hanging them on the wall, but rolling them up in a poster tube is a lot more portable.

Yes, I am interested for sure!! I have been working on figuring which switches are which on the simulator. Some are not marked yet and areas don't have switches or complete ones. Most likely I will be working with this one next year.

This would be a cool thing to have, and I would pay real money to get this if it didn't exceed or I don't know $25 to $50 (hopefully less). The poster board approach is much less expensive. There is actually a poster printer type thing.

I also took the Shuttle Operator's Handbook and xeroxed large copies of the various panels. I didn't actually try to go any further than that with it though. For SA I took the script in that book and went thru to find all the switches.


--des

Hey Fellas,

I have something that you might be interested in that is along these lines. Its a book called the Space Shuttle Operator's Manual by Joels, Kennedy, and Larkin. It has many large diagrams of the entire flight deck layout, an entire script and detailed step by step procedures for launch and re-entry/landing, and lots more. A great read and very informative.

airkale wrote:Hey Fellas,

I have something that you might be interested in that is along these lines. Its a book called the Space Shuttle Operator's Manual by Joels, Kennedy, and Larkin. It has many large diagrams of the entire flight deck layout, an entire script and detailed step by step procedures for launch and re-entry/landing, and lots more. A great read and very informative.

It's a good place to start (it's where I started) but there are additional switches on the panels, and better sources for flight data file information.

I'll be getting more info on what this would cost in the next day or so.

I really like the Shuttle Operator's Manual and am sorry it was never with the new glass cockpits. Also some out of date (but maybe good for historic purposes) info. Maybe the authors just lost interest or it wasn't selling-- who knows. I was amused that some reader thought it was "NASA propaganda".
(BTW, I couldn't find that-- on Amazon-- review today.)

I don't think it was meant to be complete though. For instance, I don't recall any reference to overhead panels. Though I might be wrong. The aft info is also not available, though there are the controls for the Canadarm.

--des

Okay,

I had the good folks at Kinkos scan it in for me. It wasn't expensive. They told me printing would be 50 cents a square foot. It all fits on 24 inch paper.

I put it up at http://rkolker.com/enterprise. The front (F6, 7 and 8 ) is in zipped PDF format, everything else is a PDF. Since it was originally blown up from a smaller printout, some detail has been lost, but it's very usable.

Print it up, cut it out and enjoy.

rkolker wrote:Okay,

I had the good folks at Kinkos scan it in for me. It wasn't expensive. They told me printing would be 50 cents a square foot. It all fits on 24 inch paper.

I put it up at http://rkolker.com/enterprise. The front (F6, 7 and 8 ) is in zipped PDF format, everything else is a PDF. Since it was originally blown up from a smaller printout, some detail has been lost, but it's very usable.

Print it up, cut it out and enjoy.

Thanks Rich

I just got a new IMAC computer (as a gift!). Does anyone know of any good space or shuttle simulations for the IMAC? It's great for video editing and I plan to have a lot of fun with current and future Space Camp videos. I'm planning to get a new camcorder before I return next October and put together a special production with music and special effects.

Well the only one I know of is, I think it is PC as well, is XPlane. It really isn't a Shuttle simulation, but the shuttle is one of the options.

I have an ancient piece of abandonware called MacMECO which is what the shuttle MC is doing during launch. It is an interesting piece of software. You could send me a message. I think it was freeware at the time (maybe 92). Not sure it would run on a newer iMac though. It runs fine on my older iMac (G4 processor running OS X--10.2) but only in emulation mode.

Congrats on your new gift!

Also there is something called LIFT-OFF to Launch (not sure how this is) and Space Station. I have heard good things on the later-- but nothing on the former.

Another thing you can do on the newer Mac, I think, is run Orbiter as a Windows operation. ( I think the newer Macs run Windows NT?? But I believe you need to install it first.) Not sure how that all works. But it is not emulation mode. The processor will just run both. Orbiter is a freeware thing very modern. It is also open source sort of so there are many new apps and extensions that have been written.

Not that I know much on this: but video editing should be fun on your iMac. I have not really worked with this as I dont' have a video camera.



--des

Conan wrote:I just got a new IMAC computer (as a gift!). Does anyone know of any good space or shuttle simulations for the IMAC? It's great for video editing and I plan to have a lot of fun with current and future Space Camp videos. I'm planning to get a new camcorder before I return next October and put together a special production with music and special effects.

I have LIFTOFF and a Mac, but would you believe I never installed it??? That is SO BAD of me!!! - But I've been real busy, and not too inclined to get on my computer at night, if that's any excuse (I know - it isn't!)

So if you try it, let me know how it works...!

You could send the LIFT OFF to me, and I could tell you whether or not it was worthwhile. I was dissuaded though as this is a launch not landing program. I have now gotten quite a realistic idea of launch with MacMECO and so on and doing sims with the kids all summer. (Not to mention my own SC experience.) Space Station sounds maybe a bit more interesting as you control all aspects of the space station operation. However, I just saw "Space Station Sim" is for Windows. (Which still means you might be able to do this with your iMac.)

http://www.hobbyspace.com gives info on all sims that are or were ever available, abandonware links, etc. etc. There is also other kinds of space info.
Even tells about the guy I worked with, Jim Dean, who builds simulators (the hardware sort).

--des

OK - OK - I'll load it on soon! I actually got it through a recommendation from the people at The Space Store across from JSC. I WILL have to try it!

I do like landings, though...