[shagie]

Remember that this was also before easily portable electronics.

Today you'd get a PDF and store it on your iPad. Secure it for landing and you're good. All the documents you want.

In the 80s consider the "Mission Control has new landing procedures that you need to follow. Here is a 42 item check list that you'll need to do before initiating task 357 from the mission specification."

How do you get that 42 item check list? Do you write it down? What that transcribed properly? Was that a P or a B that the person heard over the radio? (Yes, I know Bravo Papa).

Here's a secret objective for the mission ( https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20110023479/downloads/20... ) to preform while in orbit that has now been approved and was not part of the initial mission profile. The instructions will be printed out and are for the captain and pilots eyes only.

There are a number of reasons that one may need a secure printer to handle new documents while on the Space Shuttle. With 70s and 80s tech, the approach taken is reasonable.