4/9/2023 0 Comments Space shuttle cockpit![]() ![]() “Despite the tight budget and even tighter schedule, they succeeded on every front.” “Through their ingenuity and diligence, our remarkable students transformed what was essentially a gutted interior into a fully functional flight simulator,” said ECE Department Chair Kaveh Ashenayi. Lacking electronics, the structure consisted merely of an interior and exterior shell as well as a framework in which a console could be inserted. This project came about when TASM received a wooden mockup of the space shuttle cockpit. A fully functional flight simulator Cockpit before installation of new equipment In order to get to this momentous day, the recent ECE graduates - Benjamin Bozworth (BS ’22), Carter Guretzki (BS ’22), Brett Reckinger (BS ’22) and Jude Urban (BS ’22) - spent a good deal of their final senior-year semester converting what was a static shell of a space shuttle cockpit into a vibrant, attractive and fully interactive simulator that can accommodate two pilots working independently of each other. All eyes were on Wetherbee and Lockhart as they tried out the new simulator and landed the shuttle. In addition to the alumni and their professors, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Oklahoma astronaut Commander John Herrington, Shuttle Commander Jim Wetherbee, Shuttle Pilot Paul Lockhart and Flight Director Milt Heflin (originally from Fairfax, Oklahoma). On May 14, four recent electrical and computer engineering (ECE) graduates unveiled their fully functional space shuttle flight simulator at the annual Aviator Ball held at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium (TASM). Sign up for Astronomy Now's NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed directly to your desktop (free of charge).L-R: Jude Urban, Brett Reckinger, Benjamin Bozworth, Carter Guretzki ![]() Step aboard the space shuttle Columbia for a virtual reality tour of the spaceship midway through its maintenance and modification period. Atlantis underwent a similar servicing at Palmdale in 1998. MEDS will make its debut later this month when shuttle Atlantis launches to the International Space Station. The cockpit should be bolted into Columbia by Memorial Day, with testing to follow in mid-June. Many companies that built the 1970s cockpit parts have either moved on to new technologies or have gone out of business, Allen said. The new equipment also takes away concerns about finding replacements when the old pieces broke. MEDS saves 75 pounds over the old cockpit and needs less power to run, savings shuttle mission planners welcome. The new shuttle cockpit will be as advanced as some commercial airliners and military fighter jets. Honeywell Space Systems of Phoenix developed the cockpit using technology incorporated in the state-of-the-art Boeing 777 aircraft. "Sometimes seconds are the difference between survival and not survival in some of the cases we have to run." "(MEDS) gives us an opportunity to bring in color and some other types of graphics to quickly focus a crews' eyes on the problem at hand," Allen says. The new displays also provide more noticeable alerts when problems arise. The most significant change the new cockpit brings is multi-color displays, ushering out the cathode-ray tube screens that only offered green and bright green. The old cockpit seen here featured green screens and gauges. "It is something that gives the crew better time and better recovery for in case they have to work other issues or malfunctions as the flight progresses."Ĭommander John Young (left) and pilot Bob Crippen (right) aboard Columbia before the first shuttle launch. "Whenever we can reduce the workload or give the opportunity for increased margin for crew, it is something that is advantageous to take," said Andy Allen, former astronaut and currently the associate program manager of space shuttle upgrades for United Space Alliance. The advanced displays with MEDS will give astronauts more information while helping the crew deal with emergencies and problems. Known officially as the Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem, or MEDS, the cockpit features eleven full-color, flat-panel display screens that replace 32 gauges and electromechanical displays and four archaic cathode-ray tube screens. The biggest upgrade will be installation of a $9 million "glass cockpit" on the shuttle's flight deck, replacing 1970s displays with the latest high-tech gadgetry. Photo: NASAĬolumbia is undergoing a metamorphosis, transforming the veteran ship into an advanced flying machine.īy the completion of this servicing work in September, Columbia will sport over 100 major modifications aimed at making the shuttle safer and more reliable. The new MEDS cockpit is fully lit during a demonstration aboard Atlantis. Spaceflight Now | Orbiter Overhaul | 21st-century cockpit
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