

Computers in Spaceflight: The NASA Experience - js2
http://history.nasa.gov/computers/Part1.html?

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js2
The link is to "Part I : Manned Spacecraft Computers"

There are three parts total:

[http://history.nasa.gov/computers/Part2.html](http://history.nasa.gov/computers/Part2.html)
(Part II : Computers On Board Unmanned Spacecraft)

[http://history.nasa.gov/computers/Part3.html](http://history.nasa.gov/computers/Part3.html)
(Part III : Ground Based Computers for Space Flight Operations)

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bret_maverick
Excellent read, thanks!

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wsh
The linked document was published in 1988; here is the title page:

[http://history.nasa.gov/computers/Compspace.html](http://history.nasa.gov/computers/Compspace.html)

Readers might also be interested in _Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in
Spaceflight_ by David Mindell, published by MIT Press in 2008:

[https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/digital-
apollo](https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/digital-apollo)

[http://web.mit.edu/digitalapollo/](http://web.mit.edu/digitalapollo/)

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sytelus
While looking at this another book came up in Amazon's recommendation: The
Apollo Guidance Computer Architecture. Luckily almost whole books is available
for reading in Amazon't Look Inside feature: [http://www.amazon.com/The-
Apollo-Guidance-Computer-Architect...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Apollo-
Guidance-Computer-Architecture/dp/1441908765/ref=wl_mb_wl_huc_mrai_1_dp)

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filereaper
Here's a updated version with pictures and colour!
[http://www.amazon.com/Computers-Space-Journeys-With-
NASA/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Computers-Space-Journeys-With-
NASA/dp/1567614639)

I _really_ like this book, I first read it 12 years ago while still in High-
School. Got me hooked on computers :)

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mrcslws
The full index:
[http://history.nasa.gov/computers/contents.html](http://history.nasa.gov/computers/contents.html)

(it's just the "Index Page" button from the bottom)

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wiradikusuma
"NASA conducted five manned spaceflight programs: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo,
Skylab, and Shuttle. The latter four programs produced spacecraft that had on-
board digital computers"

Wow, how did they launch something to the orbit without any computer on-board?
Was it just like a "dumb slingshot projectile"?

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exDM69
> Wow, how did they launch something to the orbit without any computer on-
> board? Was it just like a "dumb slingshot projectile"?

There was no on-board digital computer but there was quite sophisticated
electronic circuitry for the era on board the Mercury spacecraft and the
various launch vehicles that were used with it.

The guidance systems used mechanical gyroscopes wired to analog PID
controllers built from vacuum tubes in early rockets and later from
transistors and opamps.

There isn't a lot of control that you put into a space launch. After the
initial subsonic pitchover maneuver, the spacecraft is just kept pointing nose
to the direction of the travel. Any attempt to change the attitude of the
space craft by turning it would cause the aerodynamic stress to tear the
vehicle to shreds. Diverging from the nominal trajectory will start an abort
or self destruct procedure. Errors accumulated from the launch will be
corrected by the 2nd (or 3rd) stage (or the Mercury spacecraft in this case)
using radar measurements from the surface.

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keenerd
Offline versions:
[https://archive.org/details/nasa_techdoc_19880069935](https://archive.org/details/nasa_techdoc_19880069935)

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ritonlajoie
Is there a way to get the source code for such things ?

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dfox
Parts of the AGC software source code and documentation are available at
[http://www.ibiblio.org/apollo/links.html](http://www.ibiblio.org/apollo/links.html)

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yoamro
Thank you! Very interesting read.

