Re: starship-design: Photonic Computers....

["Ben Franchuk (Woodelf)" <bfranchuk@jetnet.ab.ca>]

> 
> Talking of superfast transistors/computers, how much would you need a
> computer to automate a long journey?  I wonder just how much it'd have to
> do, and whether it'd even be more than what current rocket flights have to
> do - afterall, they have to monitor more things, as they are travelling in
> the atmosphere some of the time, so there are more unpredicatable occurances..
> 
> Would you need a fast computer to deal with an intersterral flight?
>
 I don't think fast is needed in star ship designs.
 Large memory, reliable operation and recylibilty would be the factors in
operation.
 hmmm a intel 300086 running windows 3000 with no system backup?
 not something I want to have in my spacecraft.
 More and more I think of space craft I think of the classic star trek
Enterprize.
 Something Scotty could fix with a few dylithum crystals,a few savaged modules
 and a bottle of Scotch.
 
 Ben.