look how far we've come... or not!

[Tako_Kichi]

I agree with Brian, looking at the technology available they were brave men indeed.

Especially considering all the computers used to get them there were probably 286 based and running in DOS!

[jonesey2k]

1969? My Nokia N95 is probably about 100 times more powerful then the computers they had...

[John]

I agree with Brian, looking at the technology available they were brave men indeed.

Especially considering all the computers used to get them there were probably 286 based and running in DOS!

ha ha... Just found the instructions on how to build one at home!

http://klabs.org/history/build_agc/


John

[Brian Franklin]

A 286 machine running in DOS could have taken them to Saturn!. The computing power of the onboard number cruncher was less than that of the average 1980's Casio LED watch. In fact when the screen was full of numbers it would frequently crash as memory was full, a Z80 chip wouldn't even have featured in a programmers wildest dreams in 1969.

[DelP]

If the design works then use it....

The Orion capsule will cram more technology into that small space than Apollo ever did..but the shape is tried and tested.

Not so many decades ago the Soviet/Russian attitude to development was that if it worked then go with that...the US attitude was 'that works...let's change it...'

Now with budget restraints, etc., maybe the US has changed their way of thinking.

Note to self: I must stop drinking Tanglefoot, this post is half-sensible.....

Derek ;-)

[jonesey2k]

Heh, Tanglefoot ftw

I wonder what the new Shuttle will look like?

[Paul K]

If you ever go to the Science Museum, they have the Apollo 10 command module. What amazes me is that the three Apollo 8 astronauts went right round the moon and back, in an identical craft, without the benefit of the extra space afforded by an attached LEM. What pioneering days they were.

[SkippyBing]

If you go to the Science Museum, go to the space section look up, see the Black Arrow and sob gently at what could have been..

[Motormouse]

If you go to the Science Museum, go to the space section look up, see the Black Arrow and sob gently at what could have been..

yep, a rocket all the way from Isle of Wight could've been putting all our sky tv satellites up there years ago,but some top kneddy thought there wouldn't be any commercial application for spacerockets...what a dim outlook,typical British politician.

ttfn

Pete

(Black Arrow was a derivative of the Saunders-Roe Black Knight http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/ ... night.html )

[John]

Ah what could have been... Britain's very own Cape Canaveral... and yes it really was the Isle of Wight!

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/uplo ... 0-2007.pdf

Kind regards

John