I didn’t claim that NASA invented transistor based computers, nor did I claim they developed Velcro, Teflon, or Tang. In the strictest sense, academia and indu

I didn’t claim that NASA invented transistor based computers, nor did I claim they developed Velcro, Teflon, or Tang. In the strictest sense, academia and industry developed all of those technologies on a practical level for some amalgamation of NACA, USAF, and NASA programs. What NASA accomplished with Apollo was something that the USAF wasn’t positioned to do, which was to transform nascent technologies into platforms that went on to be commercially viable. Apollo straddled a line between what existed, what was possible, and what could be applied without compromising national security during the Cold War. Truly digital computing has its roots in Apollo as a result of the need for telematics and communications that could span half the planet and to the Moon. There is some fantastic reading on the topic that may interest you. Digital Apollo is a wonderful history, and the NASA NTRS and NASA History repositories online have an endless supply from the banal to the executive. Recently I enjoyed the coffee table book Core Memory, edited by Mark Richards. It’s a fantastic visual survey and light history of specific computers from the past and includes some of the USAF/SAC hardware, including an ARPANET Interface Message Processor, as well as the Apollo GNC. Great to flip through if you also enjoy viewing these legendary pieces of hardware. Edit: I misread your comment initially; I see you didn’t claim that I said NASA invented transistor based computers. I submit that it’s a nuanced point, although I’ve also been long fascinated by that earlier work by (e.g.) Bell Labs, Draper, MIT MVL, and so on.