Apollo Guidance Computer Part 24: the restored AGC does Moon landings in front of its creators

[@wildstar1063]

Someone needs to get all of those creators of the AGC into a quiet room and record their stories before they and their stories are gone from this earth forever.

[@bobl78]

that´s absolutely what I was thinking.. but they have to hurry up

[@SidneyCritic]

RetroManCave does 20 min Skype with old game writers, Marc could do the same thing.

[@AlainHubert]

Yes, it's imperative that those memories be recorded for all future generations.

[@PowerPC602]

Exactly!! Please some one do that!

[@fensoxx]

I’ll second that. Then lock myself in a closet for three months and listen to them.

[@Digimer]

As an armchair space nerd, and a random internet person, let me add to compliments and congratulations. You guys are just next level.

[@Strothy2]

/sign the whole series was a real pleasure to watch! but what comes next?

[@525Lines]

It's all pretty dazzling.

[@RichardFrost]

Totally agree !! This is the most underrated channel on KZbin in my view

[@timrb]

Here here!

[@DavidBarkes]

I find it wonderful that I am emotionally moved by this video. It goes beyond geek intrigue and crosses over into the substance of humanity somehow. Thank you.

[@markwatson9816]

And you're not alone!! When Marc said Don Eyles and some of the other software developers showed up I couldn't help it - I started clapping!!

[@RichardFrost]

I was also deeply moved by this too.

[@noth606]

David Barkes I agree. This is like the essence of it...

[@JohnJohnson-ps1tz]

Right on. It really represents what humans can do if they work together to solve problems.

[@JohnDavidDunlap]

"In the infinite wisdom of the people at MIT... The people at MIT programmed the computer so it was checkpointing so it could restart and continue where it left off. And that basically saved the mission. And I'm still waiting for that feature on Windows" ... LMAO

[@alanmckinnon6791]

Had a little giggle at that. To be fair, I'm still waiting for that feature on all my Unix/Linux computers too! This Arch laptop takes 4 minutes to reboot (i did something horribly wrong with a bunch of drivers and well now they spend too much time initializing... vxWorks (used on most space missions and rovers) resets like the Apollo AGC - it just picks up where it left off. It's the essential difference between embedded and consumer systems - the degree of control you have at power on or restart. The AGC was an embedded system designed for one single purpose, even though it arguably spawned all the future work that became consumer general-purpose computers, it itself was very much an embedded design.

[@rty1955]

You could do it with any app written on an IBM mainframe and allow an infinite amount of checkpoints if you used tape

[@brettbuck7362]

Very common in space applications, it's quite superior to later "hot backup" redundancy designs.

[@nmccw3245]

You guys did well. Yes, that’s an understatement. The fact that museums and even the creators are handing you original memory modules to read is a testament to your skill and the high regard in which you are held. Bravo gentlemen!

[@BlackEpyon]

Well, these guys managed to restore an AGC to working order, which is better than most of these curators can do, so...

[@scionga]

I was moved as well when he said "you have the ability to read them"

[@wishusknight3009]

I wonder if Mike is a person who knows more about these computers than any other person alive on earth. If so he is a national treasure.

[@wishusknight3009]

@ That is an understatement!

[@scotty3034]

Aside from the surviving AGC engineers, yes absolutely.

[@yosoydeyarumal]

He is a resource. An earth natural resource !

[@Godscountry2732]

Yes,outside of the men and women who worked at MIT's Draper lab and Raytheon,I would imagine he is the leading expert on the AGC's inner workings.

[@hinsatobing]

Yep

[@kirktierney]

Marc, I cannot properly express my gratitude for this team-work and its documentation of a pioneering design for posterity. You guys got this done in the nick of time, because this knowledge cannot have lasted forever. You've captured the life-or-death effort that went into making this first-of-its-kind computer hardware and software. Hundreds of thousands of engineers and scientists had faith in these people, although it was all magic at the time. You guys have captured the essence of the effort and the thought behind this original conjuring. Thanks so much!

[@TheFleetz]

As a retired electronics engineer having been involved in R&D and development of TV broadcast equipment this entire series has been absolutely fascinating and huge credit to all involved in this project. The dedication, skill, engineering, tenacity, ingenuity, professionalism and enthusiasm to this project is exemplary! Thank you for the high quality documentation and production that has enable us all to feel that we are in the room with you!

[@rty1955]

What broadcast equipment did u work on? I restore broadcast Quad VTRs. My dad was hired by Dumont, the longest on air broadcast telvision staion in the world (and is still on the air as FOX) I joined Dumont just as it was changng hands to Metromedia

[@ebaystars]

you never worked in field audio then ?

[@VintageTechFan]

Most old stuff, much of it of historical significance, was just trashed or lost somehow. Those items which survived, are often damned to be rotting away in storage or may be half-lucky to be able to being looked at in museums. But even those are often still non-functional and never to be used again. This computer was finally allowed to control a moon landing, something which it was actually never going to be used for do back then. It was simulated of course, but it most likely looked exactly like the real thing for it. I always love it when historic technical equipment is allowed to fulfill its purpose again in some form or another.

[@ReneSchickbauer]

I hope Mike will participate in more projects on this channel in the future. The combination of skills and teamwork in this team is just perfect.

[@AlainHubert]

Neil would be proud of Mike. If we ever return to the Moon one day, they should pick him as the LEM pilot. I know it's crazy, but I got goose bumps when he landed even though it's just a simulation. Probably subconsciously brought back memories of the real events. Great presentation ! Tremendous work you guys did. 5 layers PCB, and SMT in 1965 ! Wow, those guys were really ahead of their time, they were inventing the future of electronics !

[@VintageTechFan]

The operating system with its priority based task-scheduling was revolutionary and to my knowledge the first implementation of a real time operating system used in production. That saved Apollo 11.

[@ocno]

I honestly can't recall seeing a single KZbin video containing so many amazing people, especially not one so genuine. Thank you very much!

[@aporiac1960]

This series has been the greatest and most sincere possible tribute to the many brilliant engineers of the 1960's involved in the Apollo program, and a demonstration that the noble tradition of which they were a part is still alive and well in 2019! It's been a pure joy to follow you guys on this mission!

[@jdmaine51084]

Rest easy, CuriousMarc. You've done your duty to humanity. Holy smokes...

[@AsbestosMuffins]

not only have you rebuilt a historical computer, you're using it to retrieve even more lost history

[@ChrisLynas]

I'm struggling to think of any set of videos I've enjoyed more than these; congratulations to all of you, the journey you've shared continues to be absolutely fascinating

[@CoreyStup]

I wish i could thumbs up this 11 times in honor of Apollo 11!

[@mhansl]

Hugh Blair-Smith congratulating you guys... that’s something special.

[@NeoMorphUK]

And still we have some idiots who say we didn’t go to the moon. Hats off to all these brilliant people who didn’t just create a beautiful spacecraft, they made a work of art that was generations ahead of its time. I can still remember my 8 year old self, plotting the flight path on a full page pullout (from the UK Daily Mirror I think) that my Dad mounted on a piece of hardboard... sat in front of the TV watching history being made. Still give me thrill shudders.

[@stephenchandler1267]

This series should be made into a TV documentary. Awesome dedication and a real insight into the pioneering days of computers and spaceflight. Great team and congratulations all round.

[@yazidkeraichia1454]

Right

[@rckeith]

NASA don't need to look for a lunar pilot for 2024, Mike's the man. Fantastic work and great to see those legends in such good shape.👍👍👍

[@wm6h]

Adding AGC controlled LEDs to the LEGO LM model was a nice touch. Thank you for the entire series.

[@TheOnlyDamien]

With the amount of mindblowing effort they had put in I half expected it to start rotating to follow the actual LM in the simulation!

[@dahawk8574]

Absolutely mindboggling what you all pulled off! I'd love to see this put on display at the Computer History Museum. Imagine having it next to the Babbage Engine.

[@heatshield]

Amazing. This series needs to be protected along with the equipment it covers. I can't wait to catch up with the team somewhere along the way just to see this all in person.

[@gth042]

I'm not sure what our heroes expected when they first started this thing. I just hope somewhere, someone with a $6k monitor on a $1k stand is making a documentary of these guys. When this whirlwind dies down, I want to know what was going on in their heads. Parts of this had to have taken even them by surprise. Their actions are not purely technical exhibitions at this point. Bridging and conversion of effort into a usable form for this age will make the ideas in/around the AGC relevant in the future. An operational example of what took that much brains, caffeine, nicotine, and marriages to create will keep the ideas and algorithms in use (rather on a shelf valued only by its DISuse). I'd really like to know what they were/are thinking. They've gotta know this doesn't happen every day and can have profound effects. Speeeech!

[@ericw4279]

Marc, these comments are loaded with thanks but I still feel I need to add mine to them. THANK YOU! For doing this project and especially for documenting it so well for other people to enjoy and learn from. In another 50 years at the Apollo 100 year anniversary your videos will be playing!

[@ianplowman4886]

The best series on KZbin, a fascinating insight in to how primitive the Apollo computer systems really were. A big thank you to you all for producing this series.

[@ShainAndrews]

So moving. To be able to talk face to face with so many people that had direct influence with it. Then all your work to bring this back to life, and collecting the code. Really historic stuff gents.

[@alanmckinnon6791]

Amazing work by the whole team, this is techie work on a whole new level ++. And Mike deserves an extra special shout out - every else is an old timer, doing this for years and learned their skills in the 80s (when I learned mine). Mike is a youngster and none of the skills shown in these amazing videos are taught anymore in colleges, not at the level of single gates. Nowadays to learn that stuff, you teach yourself how it works or find a grizzled old mentor who remembers :-) It does my old heart proud to see one of the new generation that are gonna get us to Mars take this 50 year old tech and consider it valuable enough to learn every last detail about it. We just don't find that level of detail and commitment much anymore. Good job Mike. Oh and if you need assistance with migrating that TouchPad to Arch or Gentoo or something else you build yourself, I can help with that :-D

[@ximalas]

Living in Norway, I did learn about discrete ICs, NAND and NOR, etc, while attending high school. We even got to hold the chips in our hands while setting up lab experiments. ESD safety was meticulously executed of course. I went the trade route through our educational system, not the general education route. Well, that is now close to 25 years ago.

[@georgH]

@@ximalas same experience on Catalan public education system. We would use TTL Gates in breadboards, and also use transistors and resistors directly. We even made a chopping ac volt regulator that we plugged directly to 230v to dim an incandescent lightbulb Both analog and digital electronics as part of different courses, different years. Aged between 15-17

[@salman_nav]

I graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering in 2021 in Pakistan and we were taught digital logic design and analog electronics. We used discrete logic chips on breadboards to perform arithmetic operations, to make flip flop-based counters and for our capstone project, we used these discrete chips along with DIP switches and some buffers and BCD converters to loop through (using a 2-bit counter running off a 555-IC based clock) our university registration numbers and display each of them on 7-segment displays. I always wanted to build an ALU using discrete ICs but never got around to doing it. Maybe I wil try now, with the added patience and respect for these electronics fundamentals that an MSc in Electrical Engineering has given me.

[@chrismofer]

Just getting the AGC restored and functioning to this degree was beyond awesome, hearing these stories and seeing the engineers get to watch their work again after 50 years is beyond that.

[@murrij]

22:33 Wow! What a group of awesome. A once in a lifetime bucket of happiness. I'm currently reading Don Eyels' book. So very cool.

[@skfalpink123]

I am almost lost for words at how brilliant this series has been. It has made me look at the work of the engineers at MIT and NASA in a whole new light.

[@Zone1242]

This project goes from strength to strength - seeing all those original folks who made it possible is amazing. If there's any justice this tour will do a lot to rekindle interest in space exploration and the associated technologies. Congrats all round once again!

[@jofathan]

Marc, this whole series was a real pleasure to watch in its entirety. This project is just beautiful.

[@gth042]

"My God. It's full of stars!"... Your team.

[@EcBaPr]

special moment there when you guys meet the engineers at the end and Don hands Mike the two modules, really great seeing that connection.. also grateful this anniversary got to happen before the events of 2020..

[@HerbieHerbHerb]

This AGC series has been a learning experience for me. Wonderful insight of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Thank you for all the hard work in restoring the AGC.

[@AnalogueGround]

Absolutely incredible! A marvellous finale and tribute to those who created the hardware and software over 50 years ago and also to the present day team that brought it back to life. It's simply inspiring. As an electronics engineer living through valves, transistors and integrated circuits I found it amazing to see multilayer and surface mount technologies being used in the 1960s. There's so much of the history in the form of fascinating stories to be told by those pioneers, it's imperative that someone sets up a project to do whatever it takes to get them talking and record as much of it as possible for posterity.

[@Jakub1989YTb]

I have no words to say nor letters to type about how moved by this whole restoration saga I am.

[@marcusaurelius6607]

Thank you for doing this. You guys are the superstars, thank you for keeping history alive. I’ve been a software engineer for 20+ years, way after the apollo 11 happened, but this whole AGC archeological experiment deeply moved me. In the modern world of projects being rewritten every one-two years, it’s insane to see the code survive through 50+ years of time. And not only that, but actually working on native hardware, insane!

[@derekm1986]

I was at MIT that day and I wanted to say thank you very much for all of your efforts!

[@malcolmbacchus421]

I wish I could have been there and see you on that trip, but England is a long way away, so I am really, really glad you have documented all if this to share with us. Absolutely wonderful.

[@xzaz2]

22:50 "Helped with the landing and other things" That is just badass

[@shifter65]

Would love to know more about Mike. How did his interest in the AGC start and eventually grow to its current godlike level?

[@scionga]

Mike interview pls

[@StefanWolfrum]

I watched this with tears in my eyes. I cannot find words. I‘m blown away. This is so so so awesome. I‘m so happy that you guys are there to protect and preserve that knowledge and tremendous effort these engineering heroes that are now in their 90s put into the AGC and the whole mission. Thank you all so much. You‘re amazing!!

[@Hal9526]

I'm amazed (and delighted) that so many of these men and women are still alive!

[@peterhudson4027]

I started watching this series of videos because of the technology, but fascinating and intellectually challenging though it is, the real power of this series is this episode. It's about the people who made it, celebrating their creativity and treating what they created with such respect.

[@tomservo5007]

Marc and co. should get a medal for their work and bestowed upon them in a celebration like at the end of a New Hope with the John Williams score blaring.

[@raymondstrom7686]

Mike, you are total genius. Thanks for putting so much together for us old Apollo fans. I just love what you are doing.

[@Albertkallal]

How absolute beautiful. and to see the actual code and computer running to do a landing! Amazing that we can cobble together what would amount to millions and millions of R&D dollars. And 'feed" the AGC what looks to it like a real LEM, and let that 54+ year old computer do its magic. A breathtaking journey, and a true Raiders of the Lost Moon digital archaeological dig of historic proportions. Well done - how oh so beautiful to see the A REAL ACTUAL AGC computer run again 50 years later. Now with our amazing digital world, you have preserved the code and memory for 100's and 100's of years. More stunning, is I am watching this on my phone. So the AGC was 1 MIPS computer (about the same as a Apple II), and my budget phone is rated at about 5600 MIPS!!!

[@rthefish]

Just spellbound by the whole series. Well done to all.

[@VincentGroenewold]

Officially on top of my best KZbin series ever. Thanks a lot you all!

[@thek3743]

Heartfelt congrats to the whole team from Vienna/Austria! It was great to watch.

[@clayp6415]

It is incredible the work you are all doing. The programs and information on these computers shouldn't be lost to time. It is a technological masterpiece that should be preserved and remembered.

[@galier2]

Merci Marc pour ces merveilleuses images. J'espère que votre travail pour restaurer l'AGC et ce qui va autour permettra aux générations futures de se rendre compte de l'incroyable ingéniosité et de la la quantité de travail qu'a représenté l'aventure de la mission Apollo. Merci.

[@5roundsrapid263]

Oui. C’est peut-être la ordinateur la plus importante dans tout l’histoire du monde!

[@michiel2722]

this video series is like a snowball. First video was like "cool, an AGC" and now the whole world is watching this closely. Amazing stuf Marc, mike and everyone who did their part on restoring this important part of history. Hats off to you!

[@robertselectronichobbies9507]

Thank you CuriousMarc for taking us on this journey with you! I have often wondered how they did it and now I know. It is the most amazing achievement/adventure ever! The abilities and bravery of the astronauts as well as the genius of the engineers have been brought to light with this series of videos. It was a mission far ahead of it's time which is what makes it so incredible!

[@rubboots]

I'm very moved I should say! Because not only it's a fascinating technological adventure through time, history of technology which is already very interesting, but also much more than 50 years of Human adventure and Life , passion for technology, progress, power of having a commun purpose (something every human being should have at his level!), so a Human adventure too! These guys are in pretty good shape. I'm glad! Proving that dreaming is healthy and makes reality happens! So to speak... Thank you so much guys !

[@GeorgeWMays]

I am in awe. What you have done is fascinating and much appreciated. God bless....

[@aserta]

This is one of the best executed missions i have seen. There's just no words to quantify just what, you guys have pulled off. To all involved, THANK YOU, for your tireless work, resources committed, and unparalleled dedication to bring a shard of forgotten or lost history back to life.

[@mxlje]

I feel like I’m friends with all of you after watching this series. What a ride, thank you 🙏

[@vincei4252]

Excellent job everyone. Not just Marc, Mike and crew but all the awesome people from 5-6 decades ago.

[@thetaleteller4692]

Loving your Videos teached me two things: a) i am far more nerdy than i would admit. b) you Guys dont get remotely the attention you deserve for the wonderful work you provide for computer history. A huge thanks to the whole team of wizards!

[@OriginalJetForMe]

I can't tell you guys how glad I am to see this. I'm so glad you got to meet up with some of the original engineers!

[@eddyjay83]

This felt to me like watching your favorite team receive the cup after a well fought final. Well done folks!

[@randalltufts3321]

Young men like you let me know our technological future is in good hands. I cannot thank you enough for all you've done for all those who had a hand in building this magnificent piece of history and to you for bringing it back to life for all of us. Your efforts are appreciated more than you know. I'm so happy for all of you I can't even envy you LoL Congratulations 🎉 on a job well done. Enjoy the accolades and cherish it. You've earned the respect of those men who without which we never would have stepped out onto the surface of the thing we call the 🌕 moon.

[@andrewrixon2347]

Outstanding as always. The culmination of many hours of blood, sweat & tears to bring this beautiful piece of history back to life in time for the 50th Anniversary and be able to share it with people who really “get it”. Bravo to the whole team

[@preiter20]

Just unbelievable. Congratulations to you all. What an accomplishment!

[@sblack48]

The narrator of the demo was very entertaining! Great work.

[@brandona1370]

I watched the second half of this video with my mouth and eyes wide open. You guys are incredible! The historic archaeology of this whole thing has been incredible. Marc, I have been following your channel for long before this AGC series and I am so thankful to have seen this project since the very first video! Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo era history has been a major inspiration to me personally and professionally; you guys have made this inspiration even more real now! I hope you consider making a documentary about this if it is not already in the works. Thank you sharing this footage along the way.

[@MrFurriephillips]

Reverse engineering, old-new systems integration, electronic/computer archeology, data rescue, recovery & reenactments - absolutely wonderful!

[@97marqedman]

Absolutely. Fantastic. Work. You guys should be commended for your efforts, along with everyone who donated their time and skills and, of course, the materials themselves. Totally extraordinary. Thank you for such an amazing video documentation series! I’ll be re-watching it again very soon!

[@materialsguy2002]

Do you guys realize you are preserving our Apollo history? In two or three centuries, we will be able to look back and remember where we started. Bravo and and thanks, gentlemen.

[@Strelnikov10]

You guys should crowdfund for a documentary, bring all of these guys/gals in and interview them. Leave no technical detail untouched. What an unbelievable opportunity that would be.

[@pancrojones]

This series has been the best thing I've ever seen on KZbin by far.

[@wlbrobinson]

You have done a marvelous job with the restoration, and by locating and reading the ROM modules alone are historically significant.

[@JacquesGangloff]

What an epic journey and what a fantastic team ! Thanks for taking the time to dissect and explain in details these forgotten pieces of technology.

[@KanalFrump]

You guys are absolute nerds. Thank you for taking us along on this magnificent ride.

[@neur303]

Awesome documentary! Thank you sooooooo much for sharing glimpses into these precious moments you had ❤️ I love how the love, effort, chance and ability of all came together just right in time to make all of this possible. I adore your enthusiasm!

[@gssg108]

You should be justly proud of a superb achievement. Thank you very much for sharing everything with us.

[@Bogieking78]

Going to have a very hard time doing something better than this series Marc-seriously, all you guys are great and I anxiously await each episode of this story! Thanks for sharing!

[@darrinpearce9780]

This whole restoration still amazes me. Well done guys.

[@roverdad]

I didn’t think you would be able to top getting the agc going again. I am glad to have been wrong. As someone said above it would be wonderful to record the stories of the people that made the agc and the rest of Apollo while we can.

[@thenaimis]

You guys have done an absolutely incredible job on this project and it's been a privilege just to watch the video series.

[@kevinreardon2558]

Thanks for this trip. If the Smithsonian ever gets a theater, these episodes will be playing non-stop.

[@gtoger]

Thank you, team, for the AGC restoration efforts and the homage to the guys who blazed the trail to the moon all those years ago. Well done!

[@NateEngle]

This whole restoration series has been amazing, kudos to the whole team!

[@garylen4744]

WE WANT MORE!! WE WANT MORE !! WE WANT MORE!! WE WANT MORE !! **** MARC PLEASE!!! - no edits.. we LOVE the fact that you have access and appreciate the history!! PLEASE share more of this amazing story with us.

[@stupossibleify]

A completely captivating series. Well done to all of you.

[@pedrodelacabra1855]

This has been the best series of the year. Congratulations on all of your success. Mike is a rock-star!

[@musicmakelightning]

I literally had chills watching this.Bravo gentlemen. What an accomplishment.

[@RexOnTheDex]

You ripped the ropes lol! Congratulations guys, I've really enjoyed this series, much respect to you all!

[@gianlucatovo3501]

I was overwhelmed from emotions seeing these brave peoples receiving honors for their work! It was magic.

[@smgvbest]

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, and here you have better. oh, and I want to be like Mike

[@neilshep50]

So far this series has cost me a day of my life, but it's worth it. Thank you.

[@latmask00]

You have such a great team there. Thanks for sharing all this. I got all emotional seeing the people that were involved back in the day. Fantastic stuff.

[@mitfreundlichengrussen1234]

Thanks a lot! This project is more than pleasure - So good to watch people who really know what they are doing and are extremely creative in getting things done.

[@ui6144]

This never gets old. Amazing technology, amazing effort, amazing accomplishment, and amazing restoration work.

[@donmoore7785]

Eldon Hall must have been absolutely tickled pink and also amazed with your visit to him! What you have accomplished, and how far technology has progressed, would overwhelm most people. I've been waiting for this video, and you delivered more than I expected. It's great how many people are still alive to tell their story.

[@heli.thatSTEVE]

Om my god, you guys honour all the most amazing work of these appolo engineers.

[@IdeaBoxful]

Much the same for those legends of the Apollo Era. We owe a lot to this people and I am not American. They help put humanity on the moon.