Recently released source code reveals a human side to Apollo 11's guidance programming

Recently released source code reveals a human side to Apollo 11’s guidance programming

by Alex Hollings · December 10, 2016

We’ve all had jobs that asked a lot of us. Sometimes the work that needs to get done requires more hours than it seems like any sane person would give, leaving you and your coworkers with no choice but to find ways to make another few hours bearable, another long night survivable, and another humorless situation just a bit funnier. Many of us who have served can recall long, sleepless nights that forced us to find humor in serious, or even life-threatening, situations—and thanks to the recent release of Apollo 11’s source code, we now know that the men and women at NASA are no exception.

Apollo 11 was an audacious enterprise. We humans chose to go to the moon “not because it’s easy, but because it is hard,” and that objective left many programmers typing away into the night, anxiously creating software that could guide a metal box farther away from the surface of the Earth than men had ever dared venture, land safely on a rock circling our planet at 2,288 miles per hour, then take off again and bring those men back safely to Earth using computers substantially less powerful than the smartphone you have in your pocket.

About Alex Hollings

Alex Hollings writes on a breadth of subjects ranging from fitness to foreign policy, all presented through the lens of his experiences as a U.S. Marine, athlete and scholar. A football player, rugby player and fighter, Hollings has spent the better part of his adult life competing in some of the most physically demanding sports on the planet. Hollings possesses a master's degree in communications from Southern New Hampshire University, as well as a bachelor's degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications from Framingham State University.

Also from Alex Hollings

BECAUSE, FACTS DON'T TAKE SIDES

Your Subscription Supports Honest News Efforts

TRY 4 WEEKS FOR $1.99

Join our community. To comment on this article please join/login. Here's a sample of the comments on this post.

Pat G
Haha! That sounds about right, U.S.Marines are a breed unto themselves! There's not much more creative or hilarious than young American guys, give them cookie cutter order, and they'll slice it and dice it up in no time! Thanks bewusststein, and I don't recognize you, so you must be new..WELCOME!
bewusstsein
Remind me of a story one of my cousins told. US Marines and ROK Marines were field training together in Korea. The ROK Marines tents were in perfect, cookie cutter order. Americans on the other hand had begin to build rock walls, warning signs about entering particular squads' enclave and all other sort of individuality. Not unlike the Swamp in M.A.S.H....
Yankee Papa
. ...Lot of Americans had this "boring boy scout" image of NASA's astronauts (and the test pilot culture from which they came...) Then Tom Wolfe wrote "The Right Stuff" and they became human beings... with flaws, to be sure... but also with fits and seizures of greatness. . https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9f4f45b027a1891d05120ba3869ad71e709a549694c80dd2aeb378a2d6c87a18.jpg -YP-
Michelle B
HAHA! That was awesome. Makes sense why programmers would continue to use the phrase today....their own little moments of coding rebellion.
WayTooMuchGear
Back in the day Atari was a bit of a slave driver to its game developers and did not give them any kind of attribution. You might enjoy this. https://youtu.be/Xk7Mg3aqpzM