[drzaiusapelord]

The cynical part of me thinks because manned spaceflight, at least in the context of being stuck in a LEO tin can, is of questionable utility and we try to find things for people to do? We can automate quite a bit of this, in fact, the ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle just docks itself. Wikipedia:

At a distance of 249 m, the ATV computers use videometer and telegoniometer data for final approach and docking manoeuvres. The actual docking to Zvezda is fully automatic. If there are any last-minute problems, a pre-programmed sequence of anti-collision manoeuvres, fully independent of the main navigation system, can be activated by the flight engineers aboard the station.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_Transfer_Vehicle

Or what's that apocryphal story about early astronauts fighting with NASA engineers to put in pilot controls with manual override so these guys could claim to be pilots and not mere passengers? The ugly truth is a lot of this stuff is best left to automation, robots, etc.

[idlewords]

In the Shuttle, the landing gear control was intentionally left outside computer control so that the vehicle could not be flown unmanned. Flight control software could autoland the shuttle from orbit, but it took a human being to let the wheels down. So I don't think your cynicism is excessive.

[TeMPOraL]

Meanwhile Russians could successfully auto-land a shuttle in high wind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_%28spacecraft%29#Flight_i...

Buran was an amazing piece of technology. It's sad it didn't get its chance.

[vermontdevil]

The US Air Force has one up there now - X-37B. It's completely autonomous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37

[Already__Taken]

18 years. Took them long enough.

[drzaiusapelord]

Except automation in spaceflight was a solved problem long ago. The Buran had more automation than the STS because of US politics in regard to the STS than some major innovation. In fact, the Buran is the poster-boy of lack of innovation. Its just a slightly souped up COPY of the STS long after the STS was in production. This like calling a 2014 Kia that looks like a 2003 Mercedes innovative because it has the option for a bluetooth stereo.

The Air Force's shuttle is actually autonomous not just automated. Its, say, more like a drone than a R/C car. Its many steps ahead of what the US and the USSR were doing in the 80s. From what we know its a very interesting technical achievement.Over 600 days in space for a spacecraft is pretty impressive also.

>OTV-3 had spent 600 days in orbit by 8 August 2014

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37

I don't know why this metric isn't mentioned more often. This this is practically launch and forget, give occasional orders to, and land once in a while sci-fi spacecraft. From an intel point-of-view this is pretty much a spy satellite that can go anywhere in orbit, change its mission at any time, and then land and go back at any time. It may also have anti-satellite weapons. I guess we won't know its full capabilities until its declassified, but from what we know its a very interesting project from a technical achievement point of view.

[Already__Taken]

I was only being sort of half serious but this thing is amazing, I remember seing amature satelite spotted _photograph_ this thing in orbit on its top secret mission. Glad to know more about it.

[toomuchtodo]

"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else." -- Winston Churchill

[jessaustin]

I think that was meant mostly as a compliment. Both trying everything and doing the right thing are rare enough behaviors, even by themselves. We should strive to be as good as we were, when he said that.

[TeMPOraL]

From an algorithmic point of view, you could rephrase it as "You can always count on Americans to pick the optimal solution by brute-forcing through the entire search space".

[dbarlett]

Towards the end of the program, a "jumper cable" was carried to get around that:

  The cable would connect an avionics bay in Discovery's middeck with the
  controls one level up on its flight deck, effectively allowing flight
  controllers in Houston to perform landing activities currently done by
  shuttle  astronauts.

  Those manual activities include starting the shuttle's auxiliary power units,
  deploying an air data probe, unstowing the orbiter's landing gear and
  releasing its drag chute after landing, Herring said.

[1] http://www.space.com/2560-shuttle-carry-tools-repair-remote-...