/sci/ - Science & Math

>>11557419
Look at the Dragon v2 control panel as it was first presented. A cool looking mock-up for the presentation but entirely impractical. Then look at what they got in the end - crude looking but super practical setup. In fact, this is probably the most ergonomic avionics setup I've ever seen. You have a robust handle you can grab while pulling Gs, and either reliably push the buttons at the bottom with your thumb, or tap the touchscreen (the mode change buttons are located conveniently close to the handle). They even have the button protective covers pressing against the frame, not against the case. This was a problem in the Soyuz TMA-3 in 2003 where a cosmonaut crushed such a cap with his leg while loading the cargo, inadvertently firing the RCS thrusters, luckily a ground operator noticed that and turned them off remotely. Probably someone at NASA remembered that accident and told them to do so.

Which design would you choose, the one that lets you actually fly the ship, or the one killing you while looking cool?