The Apollo Guidance Computer's last stand, NASA's 1970s Fly By Wire Program

[Graham1973]

I stumbled across a video covering the final use of the Apollo Guidance Computer by NASA, the 'proof of concept' program that led to the successful development of fly-by-wire control systems for aircraft. Definitely worth watching as this was one of the unsung parts of NASA history.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPfrk6Q5CXI

 

[publiusr]

Now, would something like this be rugged enough to pass thru Jupiter's radiation and fly in that gas giant?

I would think a drone brain might get cooked...

 

[Archibald]

And guess who got a LM digital flight control system, transferred to the Dryden Crusader team ? Neil Armstrong himself.

After he returned from the Moon NASA in 1970 essentially made him the highest ranking member for aeronautics - just behind the Administraotr and Deputy Administrator. Rank 3 or 4, for Aeronautics.

Armstrong worked there for a year: summer 1970 - 71. The Dryden team initially wanted to go analog FBW, as did the Air Force with a Phantom, since 1969. Also Concorde. Armstrong instead told them to go digital (F-18, Rafale, F-117...) and that a LM computer could do the job.

 

[Hobbes]

Now, would something like this be rugged enough to pass thru Jupiter's radiation and fly in that gas giant?

I would think a drone brain might get cooked...

The AGC was resilient (magnetic core memory, integrated circuits with very large features that are less suscepticble to SEUs) but it had no redundancy. You'd want 3-4 of them with a voting system to find and rule out errors.