Great Blog - good to see one central location about the HP calculators and space.
As to the HP-41, I have a copy of NASA document HP41/SPOC 2102, dated November 1985, titled:
Hewlett-Packard 41 Calculator/Shuttle Portable Onboard Computer Training Manual.
This manual covers both the HP-41 and the Shuttle Portable Onboard Computer (SPOC) which is a GRID computer. Sections in the manual are:
Section 1: Introduction
Section 2: HP-41
Section 3: HP-41 Mode Control
Section 4: HP-41 Display & Keyboard
Section 5: HP-41 Program Loading
This section covers using the Digital Cassette Drive to load
programs. No metion is given of using a card reader.
Section 6: HP-41 Flight Programs
Brief overview of each of the Shuttle flight programs used
by the HP-41 calculator.
Programs are:
Center of Gravity
Orbit
Alarm/Hex
Landing
Proximity Operations
Tail
NOTE: THe Alarm/Hex program makes use of a special Module,
which looks a lot like the Card Reader (in size).
This module is "HP-41 Tone Amplifier".
Section 7: Shuttle Portable Onboard Computer
Section 8: Shuttle Portable Onboard Computer Flight Programs
Programs are:
Launch Time Update
State Vector Update
Set Grennwich Mean Time
World Map
Deorbit
Orbital Refueling System
Crew Controlled Free Drift
Appendix A: Reverse Polish Notation
Appendix B: HP-41 Maintenance and Service
Appendix C: HP-41 Troubleshooting
Appendix D: HP-41 Error and Status Messages
Appendix E: HP-41 Function Index
Appendix F: HP-41 Calculator
Following is quote from manual:
"Because the HP-41 is being used by the crew as a program monitoring device rather than a programming tool, programming aspects of the calculator will not be covered in the training manual."
Interesting that cassette tape rather than cards were used.
Another quote:
"However, the HP-41 and SPOC Flight Procedure Handbooks shoud be referred to for detailed information concering the latest set of programs."
and
"For deatails on each program, refer to the HP-41 Flight Procedure Handbook."
I haven't been able to locate a copy of the Flight Procedure Handbooks.
Another quote:
"The large capacity HP-41CVs are flown onboard the Space Shuttle and the lesser HP-41Cs, formerly flown, are now used for training at the Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS). The SMS HP-41s, however, have had their memories expanded top make them equivalent to HP-CVs."
So both HV-41C and HP-41C have flown.
The Training manual is only 45 pages long and doessn't give a lot of info but does help to complete the picture of HP-41 in space.
Bill
