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Indlæser... Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight (The MIT Press) (udgave 2011)af David A. Mindell (Forfatter)
Work InformationDigital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight af David A. Mindell
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. As mere PC user with very little to no knowledge of the 'inner secrets' and history of data processing, this book was a 'beast' to read. Even if fascinating, more than much of the content was way over my head, like 'hardwired software' and 'read-only rope memory'. I also found the 'man vs machine' issue fascinating from todays point of view. Maybe a bit long-haired though. My guess is that you have to have more than average computer knowledge and interest in the issue to get the full advantage of the book. In the end I'm sure that those who has those qualifications will have a good and interesting time reading this book. This book was incredible! The chapters on the approach, descent, and landing of the Eagle on the moon (Apollo 11) comprise a gripping tale of the way in which machines and people can cooperate to perform extraordinary things, and, incidentally, demonstrates how the pernicious evil of obscurantism has infected modern writing about technology, by way of actually explaining the computer systems and the engineering challenges that the flight presented. I would give my left arm for books like this to be written about the innumerable other places in modern life where machines are critically important (e.g. the petroleum industry). ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
How human pilots and automated systems worked together to achieve the ultimate in flight--the lunar landings of NASA's Apollo program.As Apollo 11's Lunar Module descended toward the moon under automatic control, a program alarm in the guidance computer's software nearly caused a mission abort. Neil Armstrong responded by switching off the automatic mode and taking direct control. He stopped monitoring the computer and began flying the spacecraft, relying on skill to land it and earning praise for a triumph of human over machine. In Digital Apollo, engineer-historian David Mindell takes this famous moment as a starting point for an exploration of the relationship between humans and computers in the Apollo program. In each of the six Apollo landings, the astronaut in command seized control from the computer and landed with his hand on the stick. Mindell recounts the story of astronauts' desire to control their spacecraft in parallel with the history of the Apollo Guidance Computer. From the early days of aviation through the birth of spaceflight, test pilots and astronauts sought to be more than "spam in a can" despite the automatic controls, digital computers, and software developed by engineers.Digital Apollo examines the design and execution of each of the six Apollo moon landings, drawing on transcripts and data telemetry from the flights, astronaut interviews, and NASA's extensive archives. Mindell's exploration of how human pilots and automated systems worked together to achieve the ultimate in flight--a lunar landing--traces and reframes the debate over the future of humans and automation in space. The results have implications for any venture in which human roles seem threatened by automated systems, whether it is the work at our desktops or the future of exploration. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)629.47Technology Engineering and allied operations Other Branches Astronauts and Space TravelLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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Firstly, it's fascinating to read this book if nothing but to learn about how embedded computing was handled 50 years ago. Software development was nowhere near as rigorous as it is today, nor was it taken even a quarter as seriously. Integrated circuit chips were new, and having two NOR gates on a single chip was a big deal. Wires wrapped around magnetic cores were used for memory. Yet, all of the hardware and software limitations of the day successfully landed SIX missions on the Moon, not to mention saved the lives of the astronauts in Apollo 13. I seriously could not get enough, reading about this.
In addition, this book is also about the interplay between the astronauts (mostly the pilots) and the guidance system developers. There were many opinions regarding fully automated landings vs. fully manual landings. The truth is that each of the Apollo landings was somewhere in the grey area in between both extremes. People involved in the Apollo program had no idea how much pilots could even handle for a landing, and if fully manual landings were even possible. To this end, they designed a training machine built to reproduce the LM as much as possible that could be used on Earth. That type of engineering solution to a problem (how can you practice landing on the Moon if you only get one shot to land there?) was really interesting to read about, and isn't discussed in most Apollo literature.
Finally, I got to read more about the actual lunar landings in this book than in any other book I've read about Apollo. They were fascinating, and, tying in with the above paragraph, really highlighted the subtle interplay between human and machine.
This is not an action-packed book about the heyday of Apollo. I loved the book and even I found it slow-going at times. That said, I would not recommend this book if you are not really into the topic at hand. Otherwise, it gets my full seal of approval! ( )