Its amazing that since then we haven’t had much or any success in even landing anything unmanned on the moon, let alone manned. The fact that they weren’t ripped to shreds like pretty much everything else we ever tried to land, using that era’s technology, is absolutely fucking bonkers
That’s mostly irrelevant because Apollo didn’t have computers landing the ships. They were humans. Astronauts trained hard to achieve that. Computers only flew the initial takeoff and ascent. An IBM computer that stayed behind with the rocket. But Armstrong landed that bird on the moon by hand.
Also, while the on board computer allowed them to consolidate sensor input, and calculate and execute burn maneuvers (relatively easy tasks), everything was double and triple checked by mission control back on earth. With way more powerful, faster and capable computers. Anything that required reflexes or finesse was done by a human hand on a joystick.
This is why all those attempts are impressive even if ultimately failed some way or the other. Because they are autonomous landers. A technology that didn’t exist until the turn of the millennium.
Its amazing that since then we haven’t had much or any success in even landing anything unmanned on the moon, let alone manned. The fact that they weren’t ripped to shreds like pretty much everything else we ever tried to land, using that era’s technology, is absolutely fucking bonkers
That’s mostly irrelevant because Apollo didn’t have computers landing the ships. They were humans. Astronauts trained hard to achieve that. Computers only flew the initial takeoff and ascent. An IBM computer that stayed behind with the rocket. But Armstrong landed that bird on the moon by hand.
Also, while the on board computer allowed them to consolidate sensor input, and calculate and execute burn maneuvers (relatively easy tasks), everything was double and triple checked by mission control back on earth. With way more powerful, faster and capable computers. Anything that required reflexes or finesse was done by a human hand on a joystick.
This is why all those attempts are impressive even if ultimately failed some way or the other. Because they are autonomous landers. A technology that didn’t exist until the turn of the millennium.