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The Machine That Made the Moon Missions Possible

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday July 17 2019, @04:01PM   Printer-friendly
from the the-right-stuff dept.

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for AnonymousLuser

The machine that made the Moon missions possible

We've all been there: you're working on something important, your PC crashes, and you lose all your progress.

Such a failure was not an option during the Apollo missions, the first time ever that a computer was entrusted with handling flight control and life support systems—and therefore the lives of the astronauts on board.

Despite an infamous false alarm during lunar descent that sent Commander Neil Armstrong's heart rate racing, it was a resounding success that laid the groundwork for everything from modern avionics to multitasking operating systems.

Here are some of the ways the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC), millions of times less powerful than a 2019 smartphone, shaped the world we live in today:

  • Microchip revolution
  • Multitasking
  • Real-time input
  • Passing the test

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Gaaark on Wednesday July 17 2019, @04:43PM (6 children)

    by Gaaark (41) on Wednesday July 17 2019, @04:43PM (#868068) Journal

    Except they faked the coffee makers too: it was all chicory.

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  • (Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Wednesday July 17 2019, @05:26PM (5 children)

    by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us (6553) on Wednesday July 17 2019, @05:26PM (#868100) Journal

    As long as it wasn't Sanka. And in space, no OJ... Tang! :)

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    • (Score: 2) by JNCF on Wednesday July 17 2019, @05:50PM (3 children)

      by JNCF (4317) on Wednesday July 17 2019, @05:50PM (#868118) Journal

      OJ might have a blast in space, no one can hear you scream.

      • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday July 17 2019, @06:58PM (1 child)

        by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday July 17 2019, @06:58PM (#868158) Homepage Journal

        Wouldn't have worked. The gloves would have fit.

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        • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday July 17 2019, @07:04PM

          by Gaaark (41) on Wednesday July 17 2019, @07:04PM (#868161) Journal

          And in a Bronco, no one can hear you hiding like a little baby girl.

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      • (Score: 3, Funny) by Osamabobama on Wednesday July 17 2019, @10:16PM

        by Osamabobama (5842) on Wednesday July 17 2019, @10:16PM (#868240)

        They tried that in Capricorn One [imdb.com], but funding was cut so they had to fake the 'space' part.

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    • (Score: 3, Funny) by datapharmer on Thursday July 18 2019, @12:45AM

      by datapharmer (2702) on Thursday July 18 2019, @12:45AM (#868301)

      Obviously you never saw Capricorn one.