To get Apollo to the moon and back required a step change in computing, the result of which was the Apollo Guidance Computer: a device more than a decade ahead of its time. However, following the success of the Apollo program, the computer was re-purposed to allow NASA to essentially invent the digital fly-by-wire. This is considered to be one of the most successful flight test programs of all time, with fly-by-wire now ubiquitous on both commercial and military aircraft.

The story of how a team of NASA engineers acquired an F-8 Crusader fighter jet, removed the control system and replaced it with a fully functional digital fly-by-wire system, driven by an Apollo Guidance Computer, is told here. It was achieved on a surprisingly small budget, and the findings were made available to the world. Not only did this make flying safer for everyone, but it also made researching this video much easier!


3D modelling by Artem Tatarchenko
Instagram: hedgehog.rave

Sources:

‪@CuriousMarc‬ - extensive video series documenting restoration of an AGC.

   • Light Years Ahead | The 1969 Apollo G...   - great presentation on the AGC. Includes a debunk on the 'AGC failure' on Apollo 11.

   • 34C3 -  The Ultimate Apollo Guidance ...   - detailed analysis of the AGC. One of the most informative videos on youtube.

Full list of sources here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/658e53...

NASA video clips from NASA Image and Video Library

"Project Colossus - Apollo Guidance Computer" (https://skfb.ly/6wPYV) by billybobcorncob is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b....

Airbus model credit: "Airbus" (https://skfb.ly/6FXIz) by surveytown is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b....

Grob G115 model credit: "Grob G 115" (https://skfb.ly/n5lk4jhgba) by helijah is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b....

a320 video source: Video by Michel Rothstein from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/video/an-airpl...

00:00 Intro
01:43 The need for fly-by-wire
11:28 Analog fly-by-wire
13:16 The Apollo Guidance Computer
23:43 Digital fly-by-wire for fixed wing
26:10 Hardware conversion
30:18 Software and Simulation
36:22 Fault tolerance and backup
40:20 Test flights
45:19 A digression about fonts
50:18 Redundancy (Redundancy)
54:39 Modern day
57:07 Conclusions