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All Those Computers?

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Computers and the Internet are central to the SMOC. Your students use computers to:
• monitor the status of the shuttle
• get the exact orbital track
• find out current weather
• confirm and submit photo requests
• view the newly acquired pictures

How many computers you use depends on your resources. In this design, there are six computers, each connected to the Internet. You could survive with three, but your mission operations would become less efficient by having each computer used alternatively for different functions. 

All the computers need to be connected to Internet and the World Wide Web, in order to communicate and get important information. Therefore, each computer in the SMOC needs a high-speed connection to the Web (at least 14,400 baud). Your connection can be by modem, local area network, or dedicated Internet connection into your classroom. You may need a technical specialist to help you get connected. 

Technical specifications (for each of the computers:

Mac or PC, w/color monitor and hard disk (at least 16MB RAM)
Internet connection by modem or local network (at least 14,400 baud)
Software: Netscape (3.0)
Optional: color printer 

Teachers' Handbook                      Page 15