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Mission Control Clock By Lawrence Baldwin Version 9509 Copyright 1993-1995 February 23, 1995 Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 1 INTRODUCTION ------------ Mission Control Clock (MCCLOCK) is a countdown clock such as the ones found in the firing rooms at the Kennedy Space Center. At any one time, a user can tell when an event is about to take place or how long it has been since an event occurred. MCCLOCK can display up to 21 events at one time along with the Local, Greenwich Means, Mission Elapse Time and End of Mission times. Other functions include clocks for tracking stations' time of day, secondary timers to let you know such things as when a launch window closes, and a screen to let you know the date, time, and mission elapse time that an event will take place. It is recommended to use no less than a 386 machine with a math co- processor with this program. Due to the amount of calculations that are required, some if not all functions may not be able to keep time accurately. To determine if your machine will keep time correctly, watch the local time display and see if it skips any seconds when the clocks are running. To allow as much memory as possible, only the most common errors will be handled by MCCLOCK. If an error should occur that is not handled by the error procedure, a message will be displayed showing you the error code. Check the ERRORS MESSAGES section at the bottom of this documentation to determine your problem. If you should have any comments, suggestions, or problems for which you would like to contact me, you can do so by one of the following methods: Send a self addressed stamped envelope to: Lawrence Baldwin 9303 Fiesta Way Louisville, Ky. 40272 Internet address: Lawrence.Baldwin@Livewire.Iglou.Com Live Wire BBS: 502-933-4725 This software is FREE OF CHARGE to everyone. There are no registration fees and no money grabbing gimicks down the road. If this software should get someone interested in our space program (United States') or one from another nation, then that is payment enough for me. Use this program if you like it, trash it if you don't. I would like to hear from thoses that do use it. I would like to know where you're from and how you use this software. Do you use it for personal use, educational, industrial, government, etc? You can receive the latest version of Mission Control Clock by calling the RPV BBS at 310-541-7299. This system is located at Rancho Palos Verdes, Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 2 California, USA and runs at 2400-14400 baud 8-N-1. Or you can send $2.00 (in U.S. funds) to the address above to cover postage and materials. Please specify the last version that you have so I can determine if I need to send your money back to you if you do have the latest. Also specify what size disk that you would like this shipped on (5 1/4 or 3.5). DISCLAIMER ---------- The author makes no warranties of any kind with this software or documentation. The author shall not be liable in any event for incidental or consequential damages that may a rise while this software is in use. The user takes full responsibility at all times when any part of this software is being executed. The author also can not quarantee that the version you have is free of errors. Mission Control Clock is a very complex program with over 7000+ lines of code. As soon as an error is discovered it will be corrected in the next version. If you do find any problems please notify me as soon as possible so these errors can get corrected. ************************************* ***** WARNING FOR PENTIUM USERS ***** ************************************* It was disclosed in December 1994, that the Intel Pentium processing chip is defective and can cause errors when calculating floating decimals. Mission Control Clock makes hundreds, if not thousands, of calculation a second using floating decimals. To determine if your computer may have one of these defective chips, execute program PENTIUM.EXE. If it turns out that you do have a bad chip, Mission Control Clock may not function properly. ***************************************** ** MAKING YOUR COMPUTER CLOCK ACCURATE ** ***************************************** Mission Control Clock is only as accurate as your computer. Make sure that your systems internal clock is set to the correct date and time. Set the date and time by a reliable source. Most Tv and radio stations send out a tone over the air on the hour that can be used. Do not use this tone if a live talk show is being broadcasted because this signial may be delayed by several seconds. RUNNING MCCLOCK FOR THE FIRST TIME (DEMO) ----------------------------------------- When this program is run for the first time you will be given a message and two demo files will be created, DEMO.JDF and DEMO.BIH. Follow the directions on the screen to view the demo. This demo will only appear when Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 3 the program is run for the first time. After that Mission Control Clock will work as normal. There is an on line help screen by pressing <F1>. Viewing the on line help will give you some idea of the keys to press to view the different formats that Mission Control Clock has. If for some reason when you first executed Mission Control Clock and you did not get the demo, select option 4 from the menu to reset the demo function. Exit the program and then run it again. When you distribute this program to others, please reset the demo function so the new user will see it. MAKING MCCLOCK WORK ------------------- Mission Control Clock may seem difficult to operate, but actualy there are just a few basic steps. To create your mission clock, you must have up-to- date data on the events and times when an event will take place in a mission. The times can be in a Mission Elapse Time (MET) or a DATE/TIME format. Next, you will have to use the CONVERTER to change your data into Julian Dates so the clock can read your information. Once these steps are done, your clock is ready to run. There is also included in this software package a utilities called Mission Control Clock Tools (MCCTOOLS). These are utilities to help you in creating, updating and managing files. These utilities can same you a lot of time and trouble. ENTERING DEFAULTS ----------------- Using Mission Control Clock you will have to enter the launch date and time, landing date and time, and time zone on several occasions. You may want to avoid having to enter this information over and over again by pressing <5> on the main menu and entering the defaults. When the user is prompted for this data, the user just has to press <ENTER> to apply. The defaults will appear in yellow next to the prompt if the default has been set. WHERE TO GET DATA ----------------- Data information for your clock files can be obtained from many sources. Even though magazines can be excellent sources, they can become outdated by the time the reader receives his/her issue. Since MCCLOCK will use MET times, look for magazines that publish this type of data. Since manned missions are set on MET times, this information is usually good for long periods of time. One of the best sources for information is through NASA's Spacelink at Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 4 205-895-0028. Spacelink is a computer service BBS run by the Public Affairs Office of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. They carry up-to-date information on the most popular U.S. space missions. For the best information on Shuttle missions for MCCLOCK, download the NASA Select TV schedule that can be found under the "Current News" and under the current mission's name. NASA Select TV schedules can also be obtained through another BBS service from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, at 713-483-5817. TV schedules become available about two weeks before a mission. FILES IN THIS PROGRAM --------------------- MCCLOCK.EXE Main menu for the program. It also contains the converter and ties all the Mission Control Clock programs together. CLOCK.EXE Mission Control Clock MCCLOCK.INI Initialization file. If this file is deleted or becomes damaged in any way, a new one can be created by restoring the demo function by pressing <4> on the main menu. LAUNCH.TXT MET of a Shuttle launch sequence ON-ORBIT.TXT Your MET for the on-orbit information (see below) LANDING.TXT MET of a Shuttle landing sequence TRACKING.TXT Tracking Station's locations and GMT time difference to use with the converters. See TRACKING STATION'S TIME below for more information. MCCTOOLS.EXE Mission Control Clock Tools are utilites to help you to create and to update your files. Many of these can save the user a lot of time and trouble. FILE EXTENSIONS -------------- Files that end with the following extensions are: .TXT Files that you created with your data information. .JDF Julian Date file created by the converter that MCCLOCK reads. .BIH Times and durations of built in holds in a countdown. CREATING YOUR INFORMATION FILE ------------------------------ Use the EDITOR in the utilities to create an ASCII file with your information. Use one of the formats below for the type of data that you are using. If a number is a single digit, add a zero to it to make it a Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 5 double digit number. All times must be in a 24 hour format. If these formats are not followed correctly, the converters will calculate the data wrong. In many other programs of this type, the user must convert their local date and time to Greenwich Means Time before the program will work correctly. With Mission Control Clock all times and dates are entered as your local time. MET files format ---------------- MET file consists of the event and the Mission Elapse Time (MET). The MET is the time that has elapsed since the spacecraft was launched. Any time that has occurred before a launch must have a minus (-) sign in front of it and any time after launch must have a plus (+). The format of the file looks as follows: +------------------------------ Event | | +-------- Mission Elapse Time | | | | | +----------------------- (-) Event occurs before | | launch | +----------------------- (+) Event occurs after | | launch | |+---------------------- Days | || +------------------- Hours | || | +---------------- Minutes | || | | +------------- Seconds | || | | | "MAIN ENGINE START","-00/00:00:06" "SSME 100% THRUST","-00/00:00:04" "VEHICLE TWANGS","-00/00:00:03" "SRB IGNITE","-00/00:00:00" "LIFT OFF","-00/00:00:00" "TOWER CLEAR","+00/00:00:07" DATE/TIME file format --------------------- MET's are not always available for a mission. In this case the date and time can be used. In this file the event must be followed by the date and then the time. A DATE/TIME file looks as follows: +-----------------------------------Event | +--------------------Date | | ++-----------(2 spaces) | | || +-------Time | | || | Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 6 "MAIN ENGINE START","07-11-1993 09:21:54" "SSME 100% THRUST","07-11-1993 09:21:56" "VEHICLE TWANGS","07-11-1993 09:21:57" "SRB IGNITE","07-11-1993 09:22:00" "LIFT OFF","07-11-1993 09:22:00" If you are using MET format, MCCLOCK already comes with the launch and landing files (LAUNCH.TXT and LANDING.TXT) for a shuttle mission. Since no two mission are alike, you must supply the ON-ORBIT (ON-ORBIT.TXT) information. This is the data that will take place once the shuttle reaches orbit. Review each of these files to see what is contained in each of them. If you add anything to these files, be sure to keep all the information in sequence by the MET. You will notice that when you view the LANDING.TXT that the times are running backwards from landing. This is because no two missions last the same amount of time. When you enter the landing date and time when using the converter, it will calculate the proper data for any shuttle landing. NOTE: The LAUNCH.TXT and LANDING.TXT MET information are approximate times. From mission to mission, some times may very slightly such as when a countdown starts and on the various holds. Even if these times are not updated, they will become more accurate as time gets closer to launch or to landing. HOW TO USE THE EDITOR --------------------- EDITOR is used to create and to update MET, DATE/TIME and BUILT IN HOLD files (see Creating Built In Holds In A Countdown). The user first must enter a filename. The extensions must be either TXT for mission files or BIH for Built in Hold files. Next it will ask for the GMT time difference. This is the number of hour(s) difference between your local time and Greenwich Means Time. If this time was already entered in the MCCLOCK.INI file through the Mission Control Clock program, then the time will default to that entry if only the <ENTER> key is pressed. It will next ask for the Launch date and time. If you are working with the LANDING.TXT file it will also ask for the landing date and time. If the filename that you entered does not exist the EDITOR will ask if you want to create this file. If you choose to create this file the EDITOR will ask for you to put in the first event. Next you will enter the type of time format that you want the file to be. FUNCTIONS --------- <PAGE DOWN> - Will cause the program to scroll down through the file. <PAGE UP> - Scroll up through the file. <DOWN ARROW> - moves edit bar down page for editing. Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 7 <UP ARROW> - moves edit bar up page for editing. <A>dd - add a file. <D>elete - delete a file. <H>elp - on line help screen <INSERT> - combine two or more files of the same type together <U>date - update a file. <M>ultiple - multiple updates <S>ynchronze - synchronize complete file <T>oggle - change MET to DATE/Time display (MET files only) <ESC> - exit EDITOR ADD FILE -------- Move the edit bar to the position where you want to add data. Press <A> and this position will open up. Enter the event and press enter and then the time. DELETE A FILE ------------- Move the edit bar to the position that you want to delete data. Press <D> and then <Y> to confirm that you want to delete. UPDATE A FILE ------------- Move edit bar to the data that you want to update. Press <U> and enter the event name if you wish to change it. If you do not want to change the event just press <ENTER> and no update will be made. Next enter the updated time or press <ENTER> without any entry for no changes. MULTIPLE UPDATE --------------- This function works in the same way that the UPDATE does above except that it will update all MET or Date/Time entries that are the same as the one being changed. Move the edit bar to the first entry that you want updated. Press <M> and make the necessary changes and press <ENTER>. The EDITOR will then search for any duplicate entries in the file and update them all. INSERT A FILE (combine files) ----------------------------- There may be times when the user may want to combine one or more files together. This is done by pressing the <INSERT> key and entering the filename that is to be combined with the main file. The filename entered must have the same extension and file type as the main file. Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 8 SYNCHRONIZE COMPLETE FILE ------------------------- At any time you can synchronize your events to the times that were entered by pressing <S>. This will take some time depending on the size of your file and the speed of your computer. Each time that this function is used the file being synchronize will be stored in a file called "OLD.TXT" just in case for some reason you may need it. TOGGLE ------ The MET display can be changed to a DATE/TIME display by pressing the <T> key. This to make it easier to check to see if the proper MET has been entered. ENTERING TIMES FOR AN EVENT --------------------------- DATE/TIME FILE -------------- When entering times for a DATE/TIME file the date must come first followed by the time of day. The date must have a format of MM/DD/YYYY and time a format of HH:MM:SS. The amount of spaces between these two items are not important since the EDITOR will set up the proper file structure. When entering the date or time, any number that is a single digit should have a zero add to it to make it a double digit number. EXAMPLE: If a '1' is enter for one o'clock enter '01'. All times are based on a 24 hour format. Anything greater then 12 hours will be considered as taking place in the afternoon hours. MET FILE -------- During creation of a file there were no exceptions to the rules in entering the time data. You will now learn that once the type of file format is known that there are many options in entering time for an MET file and still get the proper format. When entering the time in a MET file the user has two ways of doing it. 1. Enter the MET yourself. The MET must have a format of +-DD/HH:MM:SS. There is no limit to the number of days entered but, if no days are entered be sure to enter double zeros for the days (-00/00:00:01). If the day is a single digit be sure to add a zero to it to make it a double digit number. A minus (-) must be in front of the days for Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 9 events that occurs before a launch and a plus (+) for any event that occurs after launch. As stated earlier the LANDING.TXT file counts backwards to the landing time. Even if the MET entered has a plus (+) in front of it specifing that the event is taking place after launch, the EDITOR will convert this entry to a negitive MET format for the LANDING.TXT file only. Example: If an MET entry of +10/03:40:00 is one hour from landing, then the EDITOR will convert it to -00/01:00:00. 2. If the MET is unknown, you can enter the date and the time for that event. The EDITOR will then calculate the MET and enter it into the file. All dates must follow the MM/DD/YYYYY format and the time must follow the HH:MM:SS format. NASA SELECT TV SCHEDULE BREAKER (NSTSB) PROGRAM ----------------------------------------------- NSTSB will take an ASCII file of the NASA Select TV schedule and create a file using the Mission Elapse Time (MET). This is the quickest way to create your ON-ORBIT.TXT files. The Tv Schedule Breaker can be found in the utilities. The NASA Select TV schedules must follow the following format before NSTSB will work correctly: ORBIT SUBJECT SITE MET CDT ----- ------- ---- --- --- 1 POST LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE KSC 00/00:53 09:00 AM NSTSB will only calculate the lines that have an orbit number. Depending on how NSTSB reads the file, other numbers may cause an error in the reading. When an error does occur a message will be displayed on the screen with a line number. Once NSTSB has completed its calculations press <TAB> to scroll through the NASA Select TV schedule and determine if that line number should have been included into the file. If the line should have been included it will have to be added with a word processor. If part of the subject does not exist with the main line as the orbit number then this part of the subject will be omitted. EXAMPLE: ORBIT SUBJECT SITE MET CDT ----- ------- ---- --- --- 1 POST LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE KSC 00/00:53 09:00 AM PRESS CENTER Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 10 In this case 'PRESS CENTER' will be omitted since it does not reside in the same line as the orbit number. CONVERTING YOUR FILES --------------------- Execute MCCLOCK.EXE to run the menu program. Execute the CONVERTER to convert the file(s) that you have created to a Julian Date. Follow the information that will be displayed on your screen. The only real question that may stump you is when it asks for the "GMT time difference." This is the amount of hour(s) difference between your time and Greenwich Means time. If this time was already entered in the MCCLOCK.INI file through the Mission Control Clock program, then the time will default to that entry if only the <ENTER> key is pressed. If you live in one of the following time zones, you will enter: TIME ZONE | ENTER ----------+------ Eastern | -4 Central | -5 Mountain | -6 Pacific | -7 If your time changes during the fall season be sure to make the necessary changes. As the converter calculates your times, it will display the information on your screen. When calculations are completed, you can exit the converter by pressing <ESC> or make another calculation by pressing <ENTER>. When using the LAUNCH.TXT, ON-ORBIT.TXT and LANDING.TXT files for a shuttle mission, just enter LAUNCH.TXT as the file that you want to convert. The program will then use all three files. If one of these files are missing a warning message will appear for three (3) seconds and then the converter will look for the next file and continue the processing. Mission Control Clock will not handle any file with over 200 entries. When the converter detects this amount, a warning will be displayed after the conversion and automaticly begin to break the file down in to smaller files of 200 entries each. When these new files are created there will be the letter 'A', 'B', 'C', etc attached on to the last character of the filename for sequencing of the files. RUNNING MISSION CONTROL CLOCK ----------------------------- Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 11 Press <2> from the menu to start the MISSION CONTROL CLOCK. Once MISSION CONTROL CLOCK is executing, it will begin to load the clock files. LOADING YOUR TIMES ------------------ To load the clock file that you made, press <ESC> to exit to the menu. Select number <4> to load your file. This screen will display all timer files that have been created. Enter the name of the file that you created. Once your clock file has been loaded, you will be displayed the menu screen once again. Pressing <1> or <F1> or <ENTER> will cause your timer file to run. CLOCK SCREEN ------------ The clock screen will display up to 21 event timers. If the event has not taken place, the event and the time remaining will be displayed in a red box. If the event has taken place, the box will be green with the time that has elapsed since the event took place. Each timer will display up to 23 characters for an event name. Because of this, any event that is larger than 23 characters will be truncated. At the very top of the screen are four timers. These timers show your local time, Greenwich Means Time (GMT), Mission Elapse Time (MET) and End of Mission (EOM) time. Mission Elapse Time is the time which begins at the moment of a launch, and the End Of Mission timer shows the time remaining until a shuttle lands or the mission is over. The background colors for this area can be changed to either blue or black by pressing the <C> key. ASTERISKS FUNCTIONS ------------------- At certain times, asterisks will appear to the right of a timer before an event is to take place to draw attention to it. Once the event has taken place the asterisks will disappear. As many as three asterisks can be placed on one timer. The time in which an asterisks appears is determined by the user. To enter the time press <8> on the clock menu and enter the time you wish. The time for an asterisk is enter in DAYS/HOUR:MINUTES:SECONDS. The following rules must be followed to enter a time: 1. Follow the format as shown on the screen. As many days as you want can be entered, but a slash (/) must divide the days from the hours and colons (:) must be placed between the hours and minutes and minutes and seconds. 2. The time that occupies the single asterisk position must have a higher value then the double or triple asterisks. Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 12 3. The time for the double asterisks must be less then the single and greater then the triple asterisk. 4. The time for the triple asterisks must be less then the single or double asterisk. EXAMPLE ENTRY: 1. * 1/00:00:00 2. ** 0/01:00:00 3. *** 0/00:10:00 To turn an asterisk setting off (to not display) set that position to 0/00:00:00. The asterisk settings are stored in the JDF file. This means that if there are more then one file for a mission, each file can have its own asterisk setting. FUNCTION KEYS WHEN CLOCK IS RUNNING ----------------------------------- NOTE: When using various functions, the format of the screen will change. When this happens, several calculations to set up the new screen will take place. This includes calculations for setting up the timer grid, the number of pages that will be required and if the AUTO ADVANCE is on, (See Below) finding the current page to display. From the time the function key is pressed until the time the display appears may be several seconds, depending on the speed of your computer. <A> AUTO ADVANCE - will cause the clock to advance through each page until it reaches one where the timer in the bottom right hand corner has not reached + 0:00:00:00. If AUTO ADVANCE has to advance through several pages before the current page is found, it may be several seconds before a display is achieved...please allow for this time. If the AUTO ADVANCE reaches the last page, it will automatically turn itself off. If the AUTO PAGE is activated when AUTO ADVANCE is on, then the AUTO ADVANCE will be turned off. When tryin to scroll back through the timers turn this function off so this can be done. Remember that when this function is 'ON' Mission Control Clock will always be trying to advance forwards. <P> AUTO PAGE - will cause a new page to be displayed every 10 seconds or unless the time in changed in the clock menu. When the last page is displayed and no others are to be displayed, the cycle will start over unless the TEXT PAGES are active. Once the TEXT PAGES have been displayed, then the cycle will start over. If the AUTO ADVANCE is activated when AUTO PAGE is on, then the AUTO PAGE will be turned off. <S> STATUS BAR - When pressing <S> when the clocks are running will turn the status bar on and off. This is the data display located at the bottom of the screen that tells the mode that the clocks are in. <T> TEXT PAGES - are displayed when AUTO PAGE is activated and reaches the last page. A new text page will be displayed every 20 seconds, unless the Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 13 time of the text page cycle is changed in the menu section. Press the <PAGE UP> or <PAGE DOWN> keys to scroll through the pages manualy. <CTRL+H> - Calculates a new launch time when a hold that was not anticipated in the countdown takes place. By entering your local date and time of the new launch and what slot to begin the calculations with, MCCLOCK will recalculate those timers. When you get ready to exit MCCLOCK you will be given the opportunity to update the JDF file. To update certain timers do the following: 1. While clocks are running press the <N> key. This will display a number next to each timer. Decide which timer will be the first timer effected by the hold. Press <N> again to turn numbers off. 2. Now press <CTRL>+<H> and enter the number of the clock grid that you want the hold to start with. 3. Next enter the local date that the launch will take place on. 4. When entering the time of the new launch, there are two ways of doing it. Enter the your local time of launch or the MET that remains in the hold. When the MET is entered your computer internal clock MUST BE SET ACCURATELY. This is due to that MCCLOCK will read the time and then add the remaining hold time to it. When the MET is used press <ENTER> only at the moment that the countdown is picked up. When the local time is entered the <ENTER> key can be pressed at any time. 5. When <ENTER> is pressed those timers selected will be updated and Mission Control Clock will resume. <PAGE UP> - Will cause the clocks and text pages to advance by one page. <PAGE DOWN> - Will cause the clock and text pages to scroll backwards. <HOME> - Causes page one of the timers to be displayed. <END> - Causes the last page of the timers to be displayed. <ESC> - Will cause the program to exit to the menu section when the clocks or text pages are displayed. LARGE CLOCKS ------------ When the clocks are running, you have an option of changing the format of the LOCAL, GMT, MET, and EOM timers by pressing the function keys. <F2> places the size in normal mode as when you first started MISSION CONTROL CLOCK. Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 14 <F3> places the format into the medium mode. By repeatedly pressing <F3>, the following formats will be displayed: 1. MET, EOM, GMT and LOCAL times 2. MET displayed only 3. EOM displayed only 4. GMT displayed only 5. LOCAL TIME displayed only 6. Dual Mode (Any two of the above timers) Pressing <SHIFT+F3> will reverse the order of display. When in DUAL MODE any two timers can be displayed. This is accomplished by selecting your timer with the <LEFT ARROW> key for the left side of the screen and the <RIGHT ARROW> for the right side of the screen. If you select the same timer to be displayed for both sides of the screen at the same time, only the left side will be displayed. <F4> places the format into the large mode. By repeatedly pressing <F4>, the following formats will be displayed: 1. MET displayed only 2. EOM displayed only 3. GMT displayed only 4. LOCAL TIME displayed only Pressing <SHIFT+F4> will reverse the order of display. Depending on the number of characters to display the days in MET and EOM, different size characters may be used. ON LINE HELP ------------ When the clocks are running, an on line help screen is available to you by pressing the <F1> key. Pressing <F8> when clocks are running will display an information screen on how to contact me if you should have suggestions, comments, or problems. TRACKING STATION'S TIME ----------------------- By pressing <F5> when clocks are running, times for tracking stations will be displayed in the last two rows of the timer grid. You can enter as many as 12 locations and their times. To enter a location, enter the menu section and press <6>. Enter the location's name and press <ENTER>. Now enter the difference between the location's time and Greenwich Means Time. If you want to delete a location, just press <ENTER> without entering any data for both location and time difference. Depending on the number of times <F5> is pressed, MCCLOCK can display the tracking stations in a group of either 6 or 12. When <F5> is pressed the Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 15 first time, the first 6 tracking stations are displayed. In this mode the tracking station's name can be 23 character in length before the name will be truncated. The display will appear as follows: =================================================================== | 1 | 2 | 3 | =================================================================== | 4 | 5 | 6 | =================================================================== If <F5> is pressed a second time 12 tracking stations will be displayed. When 12 stations are displayed, the stations name can be up to 10 characters in lenght before the name will be truncated. The display will appear as follows. =================================================================== | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | =================================================================== | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | =================================================================== If you will be using the same tracking stations a lot, you can create a file called "TRACKING.TXT". In this file you will enter your tracking station's locations and GMT time differences as in the example below. "KSC",-5 "JSC",-6 "MSFC",-6 "Edwards",-8 "Moron",1 "Ben Guerir",1 If this file exists when the converter is executed theses tracking stations will be entered into your mission file. NOTE: If a JDF file already exists for a mission the TRACKING.TXT file will not be used, but the data from the existing JDF file will be. While MCCLOCK is running, the background colors for each station can be changed to represent the status that the station is in. These colors are, green, red, and purple. These colors are changed by pressing the keys 1-0 for stations one through ten and the minus (-) and plus (+) for station 11 and 12. Each time MCCLOCK is access the colors will have to be set since this function is not saved to the INI file. The default color is purple. CURRENT EVENTS SCREEN --------------------- <F6> will display the next four events that are scheduled to take place Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 16 while the clocks are running. If more than four events have the same time to be displayed, only the first four will ever be shown. This screen will show the event, date, time and MET when the next four events that will take place. By pressing the up and down arrow keys you can scroll through the events. When the up or down arrow keys are pressed this will disable the automatic scrolling function. To reset the automatic scrolling press <R>. SECONDARY EVENT TIMES --------------------- <F7> displays six Secondary Event Timers. These can be any times that do not reflect in the main mission events. These can be times such as when a launch window closes or when the Portable Life Support Systems may run out of air during a space walk. When the time for the event expires, the timer will be displayed in lighter colored characters so it will not be as noticeable as the other timers that are still counting down. To enter times, enter the menu section and press <7>. Follow the instructions on the screen and all format procedures. All times will be stored in the JDF file. MENU SECTION ------------ Pressing the following keys these functions will take place from the menu section: 1. START CLOCKS - <F1> or <1> or <ENTER> will cause clocks to start. 2. SET TIME ZONES - <F2> or <2> will cause the time zone screen to be displayed. Here you will enter the difference between your local time and Greenwich Means Time. If you live in one of the following time zones, this is what you will enter: TIME ZONE ENTER --------------------- Eastern -4 Central -5 Mountain -6 Pacific -7 Alaskan -8 Hawaii-Aleutian -9 NOTE: If your time changes during the fall season be sure to make the necessary changes. When this time is entered it will be stored in the MCCLOCK.INI file and all other programs will use this time as a default. Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 17 3. TURN ALARM ON/OFF - <F3> or <3> will let you toggle your choice to turn the alarm "ON" or "OFF". By turning the alarm "ON" the system will sound a series of tones every time that the local time, Greenwich Means Time, Mission Elapses Time or the End Of Mission clocks hours change. 4. LOAD NEW FILE - <F4> or <4> will display the LOAD NEW FILE menu. It will display all clock files that have been created. Enter the name of the file that you want. Press <ENTER> and the clock file will be loaded. 5. SET TEXT/TIMER PAGE DISPLAY - <F5> or <5> will let you set the amount of seconds that each text page and clock page will be displayed. 6. ENTER TRACKING STATION'S TIME - See TRACKING STATION'S TIMES above. 7. ENTER SECONDARY EVENT TIMES - See SECONDARY EVENTS above. 8. ENTER ASTERISK TIME - See ASTERISKS FUNCTIONS above. 10. DOS SHELL - This function will exit you to the Dos prompt. If you have discovered that your system's internal clock needs setting use this function to set your clock. To continue with Mission Control Clock just type 'EXIT' and you will be returned to this menu section. CAUTION: THIS FUNCTION IS FOR USE WITH DOS 3.x AND HIGHER ONLY. <DELETE> DELETE FILES - <DELETE> will delete all files to the filename entered except the 'TXT' files. <ESC> EXIT PROGRAM - <ESC> will cause the program to stop execution and return you to the main menu. CREATING BUILT IN HOLDS IN A COUNTDOWN -------------------------------------- In almost every spacecraft launch there are a number of planned built in holds in the countdown in which the time is stopped for various reasons. Mission Control Clock can do the same if the time of the holds and their durations are known and placed in the mission's launch BIH file (STS- 59.BIH). The data in this file will appear like this: TIME OF HOLD DURATION "0/00:09:00","0/00:10:00" "0/00:20:00","0/00:10:00" "0/03:00:00","0/02:00:00" "0/06:00:00","0/01:00:00" "0/11:00:00","0/14:47:00" "0/19:00:00","0/04:00:00" "1/03:00:00","0/04:00:00" Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 18 Use EDITOR to create and update your file. Mission Control Clock will read the first 15 built in holds in the BIH file. The times on the left side of each line is the MET in which the hold will take place in the countdown. The times on the right is the duration of the hold or the amount of time that the hold will last. Mission Control Clock assumes that all holds are taking place before a launch, so no plus or minus indicators are necessary. For example let's look at the first line in the file above: "0/00:09:00","0/00:10:00" The hold will take place with just 9 minutes left in the countdown and will last for 10 minutes. When the BIH file is loaded MCCLOCK will update the TEXT PAGES and the CURRENT EVENTS SCREEN so that the events will reflect the proper MET. When a hold occurs a yellow "HOLD" will appear near the Mission Elapse Time label. Due to the lack of space in the normal mode, the "HOLD" label does not appear. When the <H> key is pressed when the clocks are being displayed, a BUILT IN HOLD INFORMATION screen will display data about the holds. This is data showing the MET of the hold, the date and time that the holds start, the date and time that the holds will end, and the duration of the each hold. ERROR MESSAGES -------------- If for some reason that this program should crash because of an error that the program does not handle, a message will display the error code to you. Below are some of the most likely errors that you may get and how to correct them. ERROR CODE SOLUTIONS ---------------------------------------- 2 Syntax error Spelling or Data entry error 4 OUT OF DATA Make sure no spaces exists in your files at the begining or end and that all formatting is correct. 7 Out of memory Your computer is out of memory. Break your files into smaller ones. 9 Subscript out of Break your files into smaller ones range 14 Out of string space Break your files into smaller files 15 String too long Event name or time to long. Make shorter. Mission Control Clock Version 9509 page 19 19 No RESUME An error can't be handled. Restart program that you are using. 23 Line buffer overflow Your computer buffer is full. 27 Out of paper Check your printer for paper. 53 File not found Check to see if file you enter exists. 57 Device I/O error You have a problem with a disk drive, printer or some other input/output device. 61 Disk Full Your disk is full. You will have to use another disk or delete some files. 62 Input past end Blank spaces exist at the end of your file or formatting of the file is not correct. 71 Disk not Ready Check your disk drive to see if it is ready for use. 72 Disk media error Check your disk to see if it is ready for use or you could have a bad disk. 75 Path/File Access Computer could not access file.