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Human and Machine in Spaceflight
Mit
June 2008
On Sale: May 31, 2008
456 pages
ISBN: 0262134977
EAN: 9780262134972
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
As Apollo 11's Lunar Module descended toward the moon under
automatic control, a program alarm in the guidance
computer’s software nearly caused a mission abort. Neil
Armstrong responded by switching off the automatic mode and
taking direct control. He stopped monitoring the computer
and began flying the spacecraft, relying on skill to land
it and earning praise for a triumph of human over machine. In Digital Apollo, engineer-historian David Mindell takes
this famous moment as a starting point for an exploration
of the relationship between humans and computers in the
Apollo program. In each of the six Apollo landings, the
astronaut in command seized control from the computer and
landed with his hand on the stick. Mindell recounts the
story of astronauts' desire to control their spacecraft in
parallel with the history of the Apollo Guidance Computer.
From the early days of aviation through the birth of
spaceflight, test pilots and astronauts sought to be more
than "spam in a can" despite the automatic controls,
digital computers, and software developed by engineers.
Digital Apollo examines the design and execution of each of
the six Apollo moon landings, drawing on transcripts and
data telemetry from the flights, astronaut interviews, and
NASA's extensive archives. Mindell's exploration of how human pilots and automated
systems worked together to achieve the ultimate in flight--
a lunar landing--traces and reframes the debate over the
future of humans and automation in space. The results have
implications for any venture in which human roles seem
threatened by automated systems, whether it is the work at
our desktops or the future of exploration.
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