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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: 3, Touché) by takyon on Wednesday July 17 2019, @08:50PM (2 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Wednesday July 17 2019, @08:50PM (#868211) Journal

    Ok, but then you'll be in prison for baby punching, and they'll just switch to "your smartwatch is more powerful than the Apollo Guidance Computer" and "your IoT-enabled electronic bidet is more powerful than the Apollo Guidance Computer".

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  • (Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Wednesday July 17 2019, @10:19PM (1 child)

    by Osamabobama (5842) on Wednesday July 17 2019, @10:19PM (#868241)

    I'm interested in what might be more powerful than the Apollo Guidance Computer that would be available in prison.

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