Apollo Guidance Computer
Apollo Guidance Computer and DSKY
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| Invented by | Charles Stark Draper Laboratory |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Raytheon |
| Introduced | August 1966 |
| Discontinued | July 1975 |
| Type | Avionics Guidance Computer |
| Processor | Discrete IC RTL based |
| Frequency | 2.048 MHz |
| Memory |
16-bit wordlength, 2048 words RAM (magnetic core memory), 36,864 words ROM (core rope memory) |
| Ports | DSKY, IMU, Hand Controller, Rendezvous Radar (CM), Landing Radar (LM), Telemetry Receiver, Engine Command, Reaction Control System |
| Power consumption | 55 W |
| Weight | 70 lb (32 kg) |
| Dimensions | 24×12.5×6.5 inches (61×32×17 cm) |
The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) was a digital computer produced for the Apollo program that was installed on board each Apollo Command Module (CM) and Lunar Module (LM). The AGC provided computation and electronic interfaces for guidance, navigation, and control of the spacecraft. The AGC had a 16-bit word length, with 15 data bits and one parity bit. Most of the software on the AGC was stored in a special read only memory known as core rope memory, fashioned by weaving wires through magnetic cores, though a small amount of read-write core memory was provided.
Astronauts communicated with the AGC using a numeric display and keyboard called the DSKY (DiSplay&KeYboard, pronounced 'DISS-key'). The AGC and its DSKY user interface were developed in the early 1960s for the Apollo program by the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. The AGC is notable for being one of the first integrated circuit-based computers.
Each flight to the Moon (with the exception of Apollo 8, which did not take a Lunar Module on its lunar orbit mission) had two AGCs, one each in the Command Module and the Lunar Module. The AGC in the Command Module was at the center of that spacecraft's guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system. The AGC in the Lunar Module ran its Apollo PGNCS (Primary Guidance, Navigation and Control System), with the acronym pronounced as pings.
Each lunar mission had two additional computers:
The AGC was designed at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory under Charles Stark Draper, with hardware design led by Eldon C. Hall. Early architectural work came from J.H. Laning Jr., Albert Hopkins, Richard Battin, Ramon Alonso, and Hugh Blair-Smith. The flight hardware was fabricated by Raytheon, whose Herb Thaler was also on the architectural team.
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