Experience in developing payload controllers for use by Space Shuttle Orbiter crews has unveiled the continuing and growing problems of non-standardized protocol and the distress of crews required to learn new keyboards and operating systems with "every new experiment." The key to solving this problem is to develop a high level language familiar to the Orbiter crews including such features as: 1) Standard keyboard with special purpose overlay capability. 2) Standardized nomenclature. 3) Full field displays with daylight and dark visibility. The design approach includes cue cards, menus, and mnemonic dictionary aids for training, and will allow for easy expansion into new applications bv electrically programmable ROM. A greatly expanded computing storage and data retrieval capability will be made possible through the use of new commercially available equipment.
