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Apollo Guidance Computer Part 1: Restoring the computer that put man on the Moon

CuriousMarc · documentary · Watch on YouTube

History of computingDemoscene & retrocomputingSpace exploration & spaceflight

What it is

The first episode of CuriousMarc's series restoring a real Apollo Guidance Computer, led by AGC expert Mike Stewart. They set up a makeshift lab in a Houston hotel room to open up a rare machine owned by a private collector.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN people recommend the whole AGC restoration series as a deeply nerdy look at real Apollo-era hardware, including core rope memory.

  • 8 people recommended it
  • 6 different months
  • 2 strong recommendations
  • first 2019, last 2024

What HN commenters said

  1. “If you are new to his channel I cannot recommend enough the Apollo AGC videos”

    Apollo AGC video series by CuriousMarc.

    crmrc114, 2020-02 · Strong recommendation · in “Recovering Fossil Data on IBM 8” Floppies [video]”

  2. “My new favorite YouTuber, CuriousMarc, has a whole series of videos about restoring the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC).”

    Full series restoring the Apollo Guidance Computer.

    cpascal, 2020-04 · Strong recommendation · in “A circuit board from the Saturn V rocket, reverse-engineered and explained”

  3. “Very nerdy.”

    Channel rebuilding the Apollo computer, with core rope memory.

    acomjean, 2019-07 · Recommendation · in “Former NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz Restores Mission Control in Houston”

  4. “If you are into space stuff, and haven't seen it yet”

    CuriousMarc's restoration series of an actual AGC.

    LeonM, 2019-07 · Recommendation · in “Apollo 11 50th Anniversary”

  5. “CuriousMarc has also done this awesome series on the restoration of an original AGC”

    Awesome series on restoring an original Apollo Guidance Computer.

    CaptArmchair, 2020-02 · Recommendation · in “Recovering Fossil Data on IBM 8” Floppies [video]”

  6. “follow a group that restored an Apollo Guidance Computer that a collector basically pulled from the trash”

    Group restores an AGC rescued from the trash, recreating original software.

    ArcticCelt, 2021-06 · Recommendation · in “NASA can't figure out what's causing computer issues on the Hubble telescope”

  7. “there is an excellent video of him working on restoring original AGC hardware”

    Excellent video of restoring original AGC hardware.

    bmitc, 2022-08 · Recommendation · in “The Apollo On-Board Computers”

  8. “Its a long one but very worth the watch even if you arent into everything they cover.”

    Restoring Apollo systems and talking to them with lab equipment.

    CableNinja, 2024-11 · Recommendation · in “Somebody moved the UK's oldest satellite in the mid 1970s, but no one knows who”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: apollo, agc, retrocomputing, core rope memory, hardware restoration

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