October Meeting: Frank O'Brien will talk about the Apollo Guidance Computer.

Name: October Meeting: Frank O'Brien will talk about the Apollo Guidance Computer.
Start: 2024-10-29T19:30:00-05:00
Location: Hyde Memorial Observatory

Schedule

Tue Oct 29 2024 at 07:30 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Hyde Memorial Observatory | Lincoln, NE

Our program for the October meeting will be presented by Frank O’Brien (via Zoom).
"Flying to the Moon: A view from the Apollo Guidance Computer"
A flight to the moon seems impossibly complex, especially given the technological state of the art in the 1960’s. While the details are indeed formidable, the concepts are surprisingly easy to understand.
We will discuss the three key components used in the Apollo spacecraft to voyage from the Earth to the Moon and back home again. Importantly, these components - the computer, the guidance platform, and the optics system - all worked together to fly the spacecraft with incredible accuracy. We will also answer the basic questions of spaceflight navigation: Which way is up? Where am I? Where am I going? The techniques used by the astronauts all build on these simple ideas in solving the problem of navigating to our nearest celestial neighbor.
As a special bonus, we will describe in detail of how to land on the Moon!
Club meetings are open to the public. We meet at Hyde Observatory in Holmes Park.