No such thing as "normal operation" when you've crammed people in a pressurised tube going several thousand miles an hour through the uppermost parts of the atmosphere. In a situation like that, always assume the worst.
If you ever need a human to take over, you want their input to be fast, precise, and reliable. A switch or button with a set dedicated task is just easier to work with than a touchscreen that can operate everything, but only after you've scrolled to the right input. And what if something blinds your astronaut? Can't navigate a smooth screen by feeling alone.
What's the problem with touch controls? In normal operation, the astronauts are literally just watching the computer fly the thing anyhow.
No such thing as "normal operation" when you've crammed people in a pressurised tube going several thousand miles an hour through the uppermost parts of the atmosphere. In a situation like that, always assume the worst.
If you ever need a human to take over, you want their input to be fast, precise, and reliable. A switch or button with a set dedicated task is just easier to work with than a touchscreen that can operate everything, but only after you've scrolled to the right input. And what if something blinds your astronaut? Can't navigate a smooth screen by feeling alone.
If the screen cracks, the entire thing is unusable. It's extremely bad design that is intended to look cool.