Space Shuttle Encyclopedia

BLAST OFF!

A Review of Space Shuttle Encyclopedia

by Edmond Meinfelder

Space Shuttle Encyclopedia by Walnut Creek CD ROM is an educational title containing a huge amount of reference material on the Space Shuttle. The interface on the PC employs a lack-luster, but usable text interface. With the DOS text interface, navigation of the CD ROM contents is as easy as using the arrow keys for selction and pressing enter to view the selected material. As a bonus, Walnut Creek provides all the needed DOS/MAC utilities to view the files. Another interface feature is the ability to search the text for specific words, like " hydrogen. "

Though both searching and selection work without flaw, the DOS interface is now clumsy. With windowed interfaces now standard on all personal computer platforms, I take the ability to multi-task for granted. Looking at a graphical picture while reading associated text in another window is no longer a nice feature, but an expectation. But viewing two items on the CD ROM with the bundled interface is not

possible. However, with some minor wizardry, I spruced up my File Manager

to perform nicely (no searching through).

Hopefully Walnut Creek is planning newer, more powerful interfaces for the

PC platform. At least I hope so; Walnut Creek provides highly

informational CD ROMs at extremely low prices — Space Shuttle

Encyclopedia is no exception.

Looking at the CD ROM content, the meat of the information lies in the

text. Space Shuttle contains a huge discussion from the USENET news group

(on the Internet) sci.space.shuttle, a history archive, crew equipment,

many mission reports, press releases from NASA, and experimentation

information among other topics. The information is not as dry as one might

think. For example, did you know that the term “space shuttle” was in use

as early as 1952? And the program to design a reusable orbiter has roots

extending back to 1958? Also, students named the shuttle Endeavour, after

Captain Cook’s ship, in a national competition.

The pictures and sound samples included on Space Shuttle Encyclopedia are

a mixed lot with quality. Some pictures impress visually, showing the

earth with clouds floating far below. Other pictures inform with

schematics or detailed views of shuttle systems. Then, remaining pictures

repulse, reminding us that not all astronauts make good photographers. The

sound bites included on the CD fail to deliver. Both the textual content

and the visual content teach, but the sound samples don’t. Not only do the

samples lack value, they suffer poor editing; many clips end too abruptly.

Still, there’s a certain thrill listening to a countdown — it makes a

nice startup blurb for your computer.

Overall, the Space Shuttle Encyclopedia is an excellent source of

information about the Space Shuttle. But this reference work is not for

everyone. The information content, though copious, is raw and unedited.

Thus Space Shuttle ROM is excellent for anyone with children in school, or

the individual with interest in the shuttle program.

Multimedia Cafe Scorecard

Product:	Space Shuttle Encyclopedia
Company:	Walnut Creek CD-ROM 1547 Palos Verde Mall, Suite 260 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 510-674-0783 Email: info@cdrom.com

Cost:

$21.99

Windows, sound card, CD-ROM drive,
4 MB RAM and a hard drive.