
Bootable NASA 'SPOC' Software on Your PC - detaro
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/seattle-retrocomp/vN-gZYBUAb8
======
exDM69
I tried booting to this with QEMU 2.6.1 with `qemu-system-x86_64 -sdl -fda
nasa-spoc.img`.

It does boot but it uses some graphics mode that isn't properly emulated with
QEMU, and only about half of the screen contents get displayed in the window.

edit: I got virtualbox to boot it but it's slow as molasses. Perhaps I don't
have the right virtualization enabled. And I can't get the ALT (or CODE) key
to work, so I can't get past the first screen.

~~~
robertely
Try mine: [https://github.com/robertely/SPOC-
VirtualBox](https://github.com/robertely/SPOC-VirtualBox)

It's basically a stock VM with very low memory,minimal peripherals, and a CPU
priority of 1% (even at 1% it's blazingly fast compared to the 80s)

~~~
exDM69
I was using your .vbox file from GitHub. I have no idea why the ALT key isn't
working. I tried changing to US keyboard layout but to no avail. I'm under
Linux / x11 and I don't have any hotkeys on ALT.

The speed is perhaps 1/100th of what QEMU was putting out. May be related to
not having correctly set up the virtualbox modules or something?

~~~
robertely
For speed try increasing the cpu execution cap here:
[https://github.com/robertely/SPOC-
VirtualBox/blob/master/SPO...](https://github.com/robertely/SPOC-
VirtualBox/blob/master/SPOC-test.vbox#L24) (out of 100) incromentally till you
have a reasonable speed.

Sadly I can't explain the alt problem. I suppose I could rebind that to
something like the space bar and upload a modified floppy image. I will poke
at that later.

------
denzell
Can someone explain what this does, or was used for in the real world?

~~~
mplewis
I believe it's this:

"SPOC, a navigation monitoring computer used by NASA in a 1983 mission, was a
modification of a commercial computer called GRiD Compass, produced by GRiD
Systems Corporation. ... SPOC automatically computes position, orbital paths,
communication locations, etc. Some of the modifications were adapted for
commercial applications."

[http://spinoff.nasa.gov/spinoff/database/spinoffDetail.php?t...](http://spinoff.nasa.gov/spinoff/database/spinoffDetail.php?this=/spinoff//hdqs/HDQS-
SO-130)

Here's an Adafruit blog post with pictures of the hardware:
[https://blog.adafruit.com/2016/09/03/grids-compass-os-
bootab...](https://blog.adafruit.com/2016/09/03/grids-compass-os-bootable-
nasa-spoc-software-on-your-pc/)

------
nwrk
video demo from email thread
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quHlMiwTQZs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quHlMiwTQZs)

~~~
vog
From the video/screenshots it seems that the software is written "SPoC", not
"SPOC".

------
robertely
I just found the SPoC readme in the boot image. Aparnetly some people are
having trouble with ALT as the CODE key, I'm looking for ways to change it.

For now this is a fascinating document: [https://github.com/robertely/SPOC-
VirtualBox/blob/master/REA...](https://github.com/robertely/SPOC-
VirtualBox/blob/master/README.DOC)

------
gfaure
quaalud.es (where the image is hosted) is one dodgy sounding domain hack...

------
j3097736
Good thing I have a floppy drive

------
fuzzfactor
Works on the bare metal, reading from the bare metal oxide.

Very quick & easy.

Here's a tutorial, most of this is ordinary 21st Century floppy handling,
geared toward this SPoC floppy image-

to make the 3.5inch floppy-

-Make sure all necessary PC mainboard bios settings are adjusted to fully enable Floppy, Legacy, FDD, Read/Write, USB FDD, etc.

optional quality ckecks- Quick format a 3.5inch floppy using any version of
MS-DOS or Windows. Using your favorite disk editor, write F6 hex consecutively
on every byte of the floppy over sectors 1 through 2879, leaving only sector 0
untouched in its formatted condition. Quick format the floppy again using any
version of MS-DOS or Windows. Select a 3.5inch floppy which passes a thorough
sector check fully without any defects. -using the WindowsME DOS version of
SCANDISK.EXE while booted to the Windows98SE version of DOS is ideal for this
diagnostic test. Other Win9x SCANDISK versions while booted to their Win9x
DOS's are OK too.

Using your favorite bit copying routine, or disk editor, copy his default
image to the floppy bitwise.

to boot the floppy-

Any PC made within almost 3 decades should work, as long as it supports
3.5inch 1.44MB floppies correctly. The PC does not need a hard drive, and may
not need more than 128K to 512K of memory.

On modern UEFI systems you will probably need to disable Secure Boot and might
need to be in Legacy, Bios Compatibility mode. \--you will likely revert these
settings afterward in BIOS when you are completely finished using 20th Century
SPoC

Make sure your PC bios has its setup boot order giving the appropriate floppy
hardware (mainboard or USB) the highest priority. -Make sure all other
necessary additional bios settings are adjusted to fully enable Floppy,
Legacy, FDD, Read/Write, USB FDD, etc. \--you may or may not want to revert
these settings afterward in BIOS when you are completely finished using 20th
Century SPoC

As a performance check, there should be no problem booting to a Windows98
startup floppy. -a proper 64-bit mainboard handles this perfectly

Leave the SPoC floppy inserted to the drive.

Restart the PC.

It boots to the MS-DOS 3.31 on the SPoC floppy and automaticlly runs the batch
file AUTOEXEC.BAT, which launches GRID.EXE \programs\spoc.run then you
eventually see the Space Shuttle logo

to operate SPoC-

after the floppy boots, progress stops at the screen "GMT OF LAUNCH" where you
set the GMT time of your launch, his defaults are- YEAR 1989 DAY 352 HOUR 23
MINUTE 46 SECOND 0 (you can change data on this screen if you want to by
backspacing & typing) leave his defaults -you will have to accept this by
typing ALT-RETURN where SPoC asks for CODE-RETURN

the next screen "Set time in GMT" is where your actual system time is
displayed, and you set your actual system time on your mainboard hardware back
to the 20th Century. -this GMT System time will need to be somewhat later than
the above GMT Launch time, you will be using your system to plot the course of
the Shuttle starting from your point in time after the launch had taken place-
DAY 354 HOUR 15 MINUTE 41 YEAR 1989 -accept this by typing ALT-RETURN where
SPoC asks for CODE-RETURN _if "CAUTION: Vector more than 2 days old" message
appears, the system date is more than two days later than the most recent
vector data (shown on the following screen). \--After you you are completely
finished using 20th Century SPoC, you will have to correct your system time
back to the 21st Century before your PC will be normal again.

the next screen "M50 STATE VECTOR (KFT) WITH GMT TIME TAG" has your "recent"
Shuttle coordinates at a certain GMT time later than the launch, there is no
year entry, it is assumed to be less than 2 days earlier than your newly-set
1989 system time. his defaults are- Day (GMT) 353 Hour (GMT) 0 Minute (GMT) 59
Second (GMT) 35 leave his defaults -accept this by typing ALT-RETURN where
SPoC asks for CODE-RETURN "Inclination" & "Approx. orbit" info appears -accept
this by typing ALT-RETURN where SPoC asks for CODE-RETURN _if "CAUTION: Vector
more than 2 days old" message appears, the vector date is more than two days
earlier than your 1989 system time.

the next screen gives you the option to display the World Map, select "DISPLAY
WORLD MAP" with the up/down arrow keys, then ALT-RETURN where SPoC asks for
CODE-RETURN \- or - accept this by typing ALT-M where SPoC asks for the CODE-M
shortcut

the next screen gives you the option to select the communication and
observation features select "INVOKE DEFAULT COMMUNICATION SITES" with the
up/down arrow keys, then ALT-RETURN where SPoC asks for CODE-RETURN \- or -
accept this by typing ALT-D where SPoC asks for the CODE-D shortcut

now you get the "live" map as the Shuttle orbits in "real" 20th Century time.

to stop the map and return to its menu- type ALT-ESC where SPoC would normally
want CODE-ESC -you return to the previous menu

to restart the map or exit to DOS 3.31- select using the up/down arrow keys,
then ALT-RETURN where SPoC asks for CODE-RETURN \- or - restart map by typing
ALT-M or exit to DOS by typing ALT-ESC

in DOS while booted to the floppy, at the A> prompt-

restart SPoC by typing- grid \programs\spoc.run \- or - a:\grid
\programs\spoc.run

to start only the GRID emulator itself, at the A> prompt type- grid \- or -
a:\grid

when within GRID- -use ALT-Q followed by ALT-RETURN to QUIT -use ALT-ESC
followed by ALT-RETURN to CANCEL

reboot to the floppy by leaving it inserted and simultaneously holding CTRL-
ALT-DEL \- or - shut down from DOS using the power button on the PC

\--After you are finished using the SPoC floppy, you will have to revert your
system time back to the correct 21st Century time in BIOS before you fully
boot back to your regular modern operating system.

\--On modern UEFI systems this is also the time to return the Legacy, Bios
Compatibility mode and Secure Boot settings to your preferred options for
modern operating system usage.

hope this helps

