Re: How big would an SSTO be?

On 1 Jul, 17:56, Alan Anderson <arand...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Ian Parker <ianpark...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Anyway with automation 9/11 could never have taken place.

The evidence points strongly in the other direction. Consider the
several million computers that are *right now* under the surreptitious
control of "bot net" masters. It seems to me that if airliners were
navigated and piloted entirely by computers, evil hackers would be
crashing them on a regular basis.

This is a good point, I won't say necessarily a sound point. As I
think everyone is aware safety critical systems have to go through a
peer group review process. I hope that you, or someone else, will
comment specifically.

1) There are many examples of secure networks where the data is
encrypted. There have been no examples of cases where encrypted data
has been cracked by hackers. The basic problem lies in the way data is
handled in the current Internet.

2) The basic problem with hacking is that malware is allowed to get
onto your computer. In an ATC system all software used would be
present at take off. The operating system (on a ROM) would not allow
software to be downloaded except though special ports not accessable
by radio.

3) Details of tall buildings and high ground would be in the local
aircraft database. If it was asked to do something that was prohibited
by the database it would ignore ATC.

"3" has in fact already been implimented on a number of aircraft.
Attempts to crash them result in the removal of control from the
flight deck.

It is interesting to note that the question now is less whether a
computer could cope with an emergency situation. In fact a Neural
Network can successfully fly aircraft that could not be flown by a
human. The question is of the reliability of the technology and
hacking.

In general we insist that safety critical systems are triplicated. The
3 systems would monitor each other and check to see that nothing
unreasonable was attempted. A vote of 3-0 would be required to carry
on a flight. A vote of 2-1 would alert ATC who could in the last
analysis send an encrypted message to swich onto direct remote control
mode.

Logic 2-1 & ATC code for remote control.

Does that answer questions?


- Ian Parker

.

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