Computers Take Flight: A History of NASA's Pioneering Digital Fly-By-Wire Project (033-000-01220-9)

Relates the process by which digital fly-by-wire was developed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California from 1971 to 1985. Discusses fly-by-wire's contributions to the space shuttle and the process by which the technology was transformed to other agencies and industry. The story of digital fly-by-wire is a story of people, of successes, and of overcoming enormous obstacles and problems. The fundamental concept is relatively simple, but the realization of the concept in hardware and software safe enough for human use confronted the NASA-industry team with enormous challenges. But the team was victorious, and Dr. Tomayko tells the story extremely well. The book also captures the essence of what NASA is chartered to do--develop and transfer major technologies that will keep the U.S. in a world leadership role as the major supplier of commercial aviation, military, and aerospace vehicles and products. The F-8 project is an example of how advanced technology developed in support of the agency's space program, in this case the Apollo endeavor, can be successfully transferred to also address the agency's aeronautics research and development goals, greatly multiplying payoff on taxpayer investments and resources