The interface of an Apollo Guidance Computer at an auction in Boston, Us, this month 65.189,60 dollar raised. Translated, this boils down to approximately 59.385 euro. The device was used by NASA built into every Apollo lunar module and command module.
Build a battery in an Apollo command module fits. That was exactly the task that scientists at the Us MIT Instrumentation Laboratory received for the mission to the moon in the early sixties. The researchers were however against a hefty problem. At that time, computers were huge, and fit them impossible just in a ruimtevaarttuig.
Under the direction of Charles Draper and Eldon Hall, MIT scientists working on the Apollo Guidance Computer. They introduced the computer in August of 1966, and the device was with his 61 at 32 and 17 inches for that time very compact. The Apollo Guidance Computer, or AGC, was before the first use of integrated circuits. There were two versions: the Block I and the more powerful Block II variant, respectively, for unmanned and manned missions.
An important part for the AGC was the interface, also known as the dsky unit. In concrete terms, this was a keyboard that consisted of nineteen keys and a screen. With the interface could be astronauts, including the world-famous astronaut Neil Armstrong, to enter commands for operating the spacecraft. The AGC had the use of a 16bit word length, including 15 data bits and 1 parity bit.
An auction house in Boston sold an Apollo Guidance Computer interface this month. The device, which was also used for landing on the moon, was ultimately tens of thousands of euros. It is not known who will be there with the interface to the remove went.
