Apollo Guidance Computer was Re: WWII fire control 'computers'

While trying to find more information about the book "Between Human and Machine: Feedback, Control, and Computing before Cybernetics" that I mentioned earlier, I came across a streaming video clip (little over an hour long) of professor Mindell discussing his book: http://web.mit.edu/mitworld/content/authors/mindell.html click on "View->>" A very interesting listen. Towards the end of the clip he mentions that his next project will involve the evolution of virtual environments starting with flight simulators in the 1930, through Apollo, to the internet today. I also noticed during my search that he is the point of contact about the Apollo Guidance Computer for the "History of Recent Science & Technology" web site at MIT - http://hrst.mit.edu/ Anyway, since some people here have been asking for more information on the AGC, I thought I would mention that the "History of Recent Science & Technology" web site has a great library of PDF documents on the AGC at http://hrst.mit.edu/groups/apollo/bibliography/q-and-a.tcl?topic_id=11&… I glanced through some of the files. Many of them are quite large. The first file, "Apollo Guidance and Navigation Lunar Module Student Study Guide" seems to be a very detailed manual on the workings of the computer, including a list of machine instructions. "Demonstration of the AGC" is a video clip of the computer being operated. "Astronauts' Guidance and Navigation Course Notes" is a introduction to functioning of the whole Apollo Guidance and Navigation System. And the file "Luminary 131" (which is a 637MB 1742 page PDF file that took me 2 hours to download at 90kps!!!) is entitled "Apollo Luminary 131 (1C) Program Source Code Listing "19 Dec 1969 NOTE: This listing contains the flight program for the Lunar Module as created by MIT's Draper Lab for the Apollo 13/14 moon missions" And many many more.. --Doug ========================================= Doug Coward @ home in Poulsbo, WA Analog Computer Online Museum and History Center http://dcoward.best.vwh.net/analog =========================================