SPC04A - The Apollo-Saturn Computers - The First Chips on the Moon

Apollo Guidance Computer The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) was a cutting-edge invention created by the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory for NASA's Apollo missions. Each Apollo spacecraft had an AGC in both the Command Module (CM) and the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM). These computers were crucial for navigation, guidance, and control during the Moon missions. The AGC was the first computer to use silicon integrated circuits (ICs), with about 5,200 of them in each unit. The ICs used were Fairchild 9915 Dual 3-Input NOR gates, some of the earliest ICs ever made. In my artwork, I've included a Fairchild 9915 to highlight this groundbreaking technology that helped take humanity to the Moon. Apollo Launch Computers The RCA 110A Saturn Ground Computer System supported the integrated checkout and launch control of the Saturn-Apollo manned lunar mission. Originally conceived and designed for industrial process control, the system underwent a series of major design changes to meet early NASA requ