Ken ShirriffThe Space Shuttle had a large teleprinter onboard so the astronauts could receive text documents. We want to get it working, but first some reverse engineering... 1/13
The teleprinter was based on the military's AN/UGC-74, heavily modified to receive data over the Shuttle's audio system. It's more like a line printer than a Teletype, using a spinning drum and a row of hammers to print each line. 2/13
The teleprinter is absurdly heavy (~60 pounds) considering that every pound launched on the Shuttle cost $30,000. Moreover, it will overheat if left on for more than 20 to 30 minutes. I find it hard to imagine this was the best printer option available. 3/13
danimrich@kenshirriff One wonders why they didn't use a thermal printer, for example. (Yes, they were commercially available back then.)
vxo@danimrich @kenshirriff I wonder if there was a fire safety concern
@vxo
Possibly. But then I'd also be concerned about a machine that would overheat if it were left on for 20 minutes. Maybe this is a machine that was already tested and certified for use in aviation.
@vxo @kenshirriff
By the way, if this was present on all 135 Space Shuttle flights, NASA would have spent roughly 243 million dollars just to launch this printer.
By the way, if this was present on all 135 Space Shuttle flights, NASA would have spent roughly 243 million dollars just to launch this printer.
@danimrich @kenshirriff ah! so that's where HP's business model came from. (Fnord.)