tech

The machine that made the moon missions possible

16 Comments
By Issam AHMED

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© 2019 AFP

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And they accomplished all this with less computing power than my iPhone. What an accomplishment. What could these guys do with Supercomputers, AI, Quantum Computing, and the material science of today. They make us look like slackers. Mars... ?

For the bravery of the astronauts, for all the men and women who played a part and worked together to make it happen, for its time, which was more innocent and will never be recaptured.

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The Apollo code was posted to github a few years ago.

Shuttle GPCs had 108KB of RAM until about 1990.

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@Crazy Joe

For the bravery of the astronauts, for all the men and women who played a part and worked together to make it happen, for its time, which was more innocent and will never be recaptured.

Whenever you put together individual talents and persuade them to work together as a team you will get similar results. Selection of the right goal is the key.

I wonder if the word “sacrifice” ever was uttered at NASA. Possibly, but not as a motivator. Whenever I hear politicians talk about “sacrifice” I shudder as they mean my loss and not their own.

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My first calculator cost the same as a month’s bedsit rent. I could then calculate my debt to 8 decimal places.

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I believe they also had to upload commands to the device in orbit. A first ever that we do everyday today

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I understand they also carried slide rules on the Apollo missions. I was learning to use one at school around the same time.

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I wonder if the word “sacrifice” ever was uttered at NASA. Possibly, but not as a motivator.

The NASA community does make sacrifices all the time for the mission they are working. I used to sleep in a closet when I worked 12 hr shifts supporting the STS program. It was the only place that was dark and quiet enough in my home to sleep during the day. The rest of the family still had school and work during the day.

I was on-call 24/7 for years, even when a mission wasn't active. The facilities were used 24/7 for training. I don't remember being called much during the daytime, but I do remember many of the 3am calls that required me to physically go into Bldg 30S and do something. Usually it a failure of our team's subsystem. Almost always it was user-error because they'd skipped our training classes.

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I think, the point of this article is, that with all the amount of money that went into the Apollo Moon Missions, what came out from it, was not just limited to putting a Man on the Moon.

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Before Electronic calculators we used Log tables and slide rules, these were also still School curricula until the early 1980's in the UK.

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The involvement of British Scientists during the Apollo program was clearly demonstrated:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/5759409/Moon-landing-anniversary-a-giant-leap-for-Britain-too.html

But lets not forget those of the previous arch-emeny too ... Germany:

https://www.businessinsider.com/nazi-scientists-space-program-2014-2

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Wooden slide rules we used at school, guess kids today wouldn't know what one was.

I just got my old one out of the drawer (plastic not wooden), and I have to admit I've totally forgotten how to use it. I may need a refresher course.

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Lolololololololololoololololololol

Sure, I've got a bridge to sell you if anyone believes this hogwash.

Till this very day, nations depend on Soyuz rockets for space launches. Well?

If the advancement in tech was to hold true and given the absurd statement that our phones have more computing power than the tin can rockets, should we be traversing the outer reaches of space? Shouldn't moon trips be something that's readily available to the masses? What a colossal mess!!

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