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Post by nikeajax on Jul 19, 2019 7:33:25 GMT -8
CJ, thanks for sharing that with us: those kinds of stories are always fun, and make you think about what people don't understand and will believe JB
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 19, 2019 18:09:21 GMT -8
Apollo 11 really helped us all out. It landed today, fifty years ago. There is a lot of publicity on it right now. The NRP report just now mentioned that Apollo proved out the computer chip technology that was developed specifically for the moon shots. Without Apollo, our chips may have come much, much later. By the time Apollo 11 landed, it's computer chip was already out-of-date. So as you type on your keyboard, think about that. By the way, talking about keyboards, Apollo did not have a keyboard as we know it. The Apollo 8 mission on the NOVA program talked extensively about the computer, and the keyboard (or lack thereof). Instead of a keyboard, they had alfabetical and numeric punch buttons, each combination of which represented a pre-programmed computer program (such as the one for the burn to get into lunar orbit). www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/apollos-daring-mission/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_ComputerApollo computer DSKY user interface unit The display and keyboard (DSKY) interface of the Apollo Guidance Computer mounted on the control panel of the command module, with the flight director attitude indicator (FDAI) above Partial list of numeric codes for verbs and nouns in the Apollo Guidance Computer, printed for quick reference on a side panel There was one program which would erase all the data for positioning, and replace it with the computer thinking it was on the launch pad getting ready to launch. The engineers thought no one would punch that into the computer, but it happened on the return of Apollo 8. The astronauts took over manually, and reprogrammed the computer with data on current positions. Now. as we dive, even vintage divers have dive computers which calculate our depth/time/decompression algorythm and keep us safe for even deep dives. Think about that bit of history too. John
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 20, 2019 11:08:21 GMT -8
Here's a quick one on that computer: Very informative, especially when comparing them to a mobile phone JB
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dman
Regular Diver
Posts: 16
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Post by dman on Jul 21, 2019 10:02:51 GMT -8
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin created the concept of practicing EVA (Spacewalks) in a swimming pool
Aldrin was an avid diver - he used a large swimming pool to practice for EVA on GEMINI XII in November 1966
Aldrin had hand and foot holds and used slow deliberate motions to carry out a successful ,spacewalk
Several earlier spacewalks had to be cut short and almost ended in disaster when astronauts became exhausted and blinded by sweat, with their helmet visors fogging over so could no longer see,
Today all spacewalks are practiced for hours in Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) - a huge water tank with support divers to assist the astronauts
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2019 10:54:53 GMT -8
John, you mentioned our fancy high dollar dive computers evolving from the onboard computer of 11.....I understood that the Commodore 64 computer that came out shortly after that mission had more capability than the onboard Comp. I presume then, the current crop of dive computers have even more capability......heck, those fancy wrist worn cell phones are way beyond even that!.....Dick Tracy would be proud!
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 21, 2019 11:00:33 GMT -8
I read Gene Cernan's bio, and he was talking about Aldrin taking way more credit than he deserves for the idea of neutral buoyancy training. The Cernan bio talks about how absolutely terrifying it was doing those first space walks until they figured it all out and Aldrin made it look so easy. Ed white, who died in the Apollo-I fire was the first to walk in space, then Michael Collins, no not the Irish patriot , but Collins was the second, all were scary. Aldrin was bitter about not getting to be the first man to step on the moon, he wouldn't take the camera from Armstrong, so all the images are of Aldrin on the moon that were shot from the Hasselblad-camera. My wife and I find it endlessly funny about the jerk who was dogging Aldrin about the moon landing being a hoax--he was the worst person possible to chose, POW! He pasted him but good right in the chops and the judge threw the case out but fast! Very exciting stuff and lots more to find out, but I'm sure there's lots that will go to the grave with them! Jaybird
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 21, 2019 16:58:51 GMT -8
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Post by fishnbeer on Jul 22, 2019 19:31:08 GMT -8
Since we are discussing the Apollo XI mission, I found this interesting video on UDT 11's participation on the splashdown recovery, enjoy.
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 23, 2019 6:46:40 GMT -8
My wife and I were sitting in the car last night waiting for my sister and niece, so she was looking at her phone, then told me Chris Kraft died yesterday: who is he you ask? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_C._Kraft_Jr. The man who basically set all the standards for Mission Control, he ran it, and made it all happen!
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 23, 2019 13:16:50 GMT -8
I just heard this morning of Chris Craft's passing. He was a national treasure. It was Chris Craft's team that put together the Jerry-rigged CO2 scrubber which allowed the Apollo XIII crew to make it back to earth. "Failure is NOT an option!"
John
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 23, 2019 13:43:11 GMT -8
Oh, and let's not forget Gene Kranz: he was the "failure is not an option" guy: That blond brush cut and vest, you can always spot him in the old footage and for now, at least, he's till with us: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_KranzJB
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 23, 2019 15:18:12 GMT -8
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 23, 2019 20:37:12 GMT -8
I had to laugh when I viewed that footage of Buz Aldrin punching the moon shot denier after that level of harassment. You simply don't want to do that to a guy who has shot down MIG fighters during the Koran War, much less walked on the moon! Aldrin''s gun footage featured in Life Magazine. Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin., Jr., pilot of the Gemini 12 spaceflight, performs standup extravehicular activity during the first day of the 4-day mission in space. Command pilot for the Gemini 12 mission, the last in the Gemini series, was astronaut James A. Lovell, Jr. Gemini 12 is docked to the Agena Target Docking Vehicle in background. John
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 24, 2019 12:17:35 GMT -8
When you have a moment, please watch this: Talk about bat shucks crazy JB
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Post by scubalawyer on Jul 24, 2019 14:38:53 GMT -8
The speaker references the movie Capricorn One - Loved that flick! Stars that great actor OJ Simpson!
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