Logging space data.(SpaceShipOne)

SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded aircraft to make the [62.sup.+] mile trip to outer space, was not like anything that had been built before. So it looked improbable that any COTS test equipment would be able to handle the vast amount of performance data that would have to be collected. The basic DA system that project engineers assembled for the craft's initial testing consisted of a custom-built computer with external signal conditioning cards and various other boards. Problems ensued: It was too large and heavy to be installed for the next round of in-flight tests, it wa