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> The Globus INK is a remarkable piece of machinery, an analog computer that calculates orbits through an intricate system of gears, cams, and differentials. It
by Stratoscope 4y ago
> The Globus INK is a remarkable piece of machinery, an analog computer that calculates orbits through an intricate system of gears, cams, and differentials. It provided astronauts with a high-resolution, full-color display of the spacecraft's position, way beyond what an electronic space computer could provide in the 1960s.
If nothing else, at least skim through this article to see the photos. It really was quite a remarkable and beautiful piece of machinery!
- kens 4y agoThanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
- z3c0 4y agoAnalog computers have such an elegance to them. I've wondered if we'll ever seen them return for specialized purposes, outside of music.
- bitL 4y agoThere are attempts to solve hard optimization problems in an instant with them.
- tiedieconderoga 4y agoYou've probably already seen it, but there's a classic US Navy training film which talks about how they were used to solve differential equations in battleships around the WWII era. https://youtube.com/watch?v=gwf5mAlI7Ug https://youtube.com/watch?v=gwf5mAlI7Ug