Comment the point most comments missed .... (Score 1) 181
I noticed that very few of the posts I've read (on the dupe thread at least) caught the real issue (from the 1st time this got posted).
The problem is that the computers on the ground and the space shuttle carry over to the new year differently. One goes to day 1 of the next year, the other goes to day 366 of the current year, but I forgot which side does which. This is a problem NOT because the calander is wrong, but because things that need to sync time between the two is off. This is for important things like starting operations like reenty, space station docking, etc. Also, they most likley use a date/time code that's based on days, and ignores months, and most likley ignores day of the week too. So Dec. 31st would just be Day 365 (unless it's a leap year).
This seems like an easy fix, until you take into account all of the systems that need to be fixed, vs. the relativly easy workaround of not flying when the year switch happens. It's not just the shuttle systems, but the tracking stations, mission control centers, possibly some code on the ISS, etc. Not to mention the verification side, and making sure you didn't break anything else....
Someone mentioned Daylight Savings Time switchovers and asked how the space systems deal with that but can't deal with a year change. The answer is, the systems do not deal with daylight savings time changeovers, and don't have to. All the time on every system is in Zulu (GMT) time, some displays might be in local, but that's just for convience, nothing is based off of local time.
The problem is that the computers on the ground and the space shuttle carry over to the new year differently. One goes to day 1 of the next year, the other goes to day 366 of the current year, but I forgot which side does which. This is a problem NOT because the calander is wrong, but because things that need to sync time between the two is off. This is for important things like starting operations like reenty, space station docking, etc. Also, they most likley use a date/time code that's based on days, and ignores months, and most likley ignores day of the week too. So Dec. 31st would just be Day 365 (unless it's a leap year).
This seems like an easy fix, until you take into account all of the systems that need to be fixed, vs. the relativly easy workaround of not flying when the year switch happens. It's not just the shuttle systems, but the tracking stations, mission control centers, possibly some code on the ISS, etc. Not to mention the verification side, and making sure you didn't break anything else....
Someone mentioned Daylight Savings Time switchovers and asked how the space systems deal with that but can't deal with a year change. The answer is, the systems do not deal with daylight savings time changeovers, and don't have to. All the time on every system is in Zulu (GMT) time, some displays might be in local, but that's just for convience, nothing is based off of local time.
