51 odd years ago today, man set foot on the moon. It’s humbling to think that the smart phone am typing on has more computing power than all of NASA in 1969. We are without excuse!A LITTLE TRIVIA: Did you know that the first food eaten on the moon was a communion wafer? Buzz Aldrin, an elder in his local Presbyterian Church, had a little communion ceremony of his own and read scripture, giving thanks.There was no telling if the two men – Armstrong and Aldrin, would make it back in that contraption that was stuttering and failing all the way up and down. In the event of a no-show, President Richard Nixon who had the nerve-racking honor of seeing his predecessor, John F. Kennedy’s vision through had a pre-scripted condolence speech, which began, “Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.” On return to earth, the astronauts emerged from the banged-up capsule wearing biological contamination suits for fear that they had brought back toxic lunar bacteria. They were isolated in a quarantine facility for 21 days before being cleared to return to their families. There’s nothing new under the sun, after all;-)
August 12, 2021 at 6:56 pm
Great post, but I think you mean the Apollo 11 Command Module, not the NASA Space Station in 1969. The first US space station way Skylab launched in 1973. I would have to look up the computational power onboard, but given computing tech those days, you would likely be correct in your declaration that our smartphones (even a conventional pocket calculator) had a larger computational capacity.
August 12, 2021 at 6:56 pm
Thanks Eric, I stand corrected! Actually it was all NASA, not just the Apollo 11 Command Center. PS. Blimey bro., I wouldn’t wager even a quarter on a pocket calculator’s computing power to send men to a certain lunar death – Nixon’s speech would have come in handy, after all;-)
August 12, 2021 at 6:56 pm
All this to remind me that I was 14 Years Old and that I am now too old ???? ?
August 12, 2021 at 6:57 pm
Eric, that’s the story (and circle) of life!
August 12, 2021 at 6:57 pm
Jacob Zikusooka This I know !! ? Just kidding !! ?