5 uses of computer in space
Answers
Answer:
Calculations. Lots of them.
Trajectory and velocity planning and scheduling would be perhaps the most important.
Think about it, your starting point is not fixed. It's rotating. Launch 12 hours earlier or later and you start off going in totally the wrong direction requiring more fuel than can be carried to correct.
Your destination is constantly moving and even the fastest space vehicle currently in existence typically takes many months to get there. Not just that, it might not even have enough power to make it there under its own propulsion, requiring gravity assistance from another (moving) celestial body to sling shot towards the next way point.
So you have to meticulously work out years in advance when the best time to launch is, what the trajectory and velocity should be and then still need course correcting maneuvers to keep things on track.
Don't forget, the launch vehicle and mission equipment has to be designed, built and tested too. Everything is planned in advance. Computers make all of this easier.
The rest is mostly lots of physics and maths.
Yes, like all maths, you could probably do it all by hand, but it would take a lot longer than using a computer. And using a computer allows you to run lots of what-if scenarios and simulations in a lot less time than doing it manually.
And then you've got other things you use computers for everyday. You’ve got data to send/receive. You'll want to compress it to make the most of limited bandwidth and power.
Explanation: