The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) provided reliable real-time control for the Apollo spacecraft that carried US astronauts to the moon, 1969-1972. It was designed by the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory (now The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.) and manufactured by Raytheon Corporation.
The AGC was significant for its tight coupling of human and machine, its early use of integrated circuits, and its reliable, mission critical software. The history of the AGC project provides a window into the history of technology in America during the space race and the Cold War. This site is devoted to documenting the machines, people and institutions that made this achievement possible.
Virtual AGC is a computer model of the AGC. It does not try to mimic the superficial behavioral characteristics of the AGC, but rather to model the AGC’s inner workings. The result is a computer model of the AGC which is itself capable of executing the original Apollo software on (for example) a desktop PC. In computer terms, Virtual AGC is an emulator.
Why waste so much time on a project that may be of interest to 3 geeks somewhere?
Placing men on the moon is one of the greatest accomplishments of the United States of America. It is arguable, indeed, that it is the greatest accomplishment (of any kind) in the history of the human race. If so, perhaps it makes sense to preserve the relics of the Apollo project. (Besides, I’m one of the 3. )
Computer History Museum
PowerPoint (with pictures)
How to build one in your basement
Computers in Spaceflight: The NASA Experience
