The Moon Landing Computing Power Vs Today’s Mobile Phone Computing
When Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon on July 20, 1969, the computing power that made it possible was less than what we have in our pockets today. The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) used by NASA during the moon landing had a processing speed of about 0.043 MHz, while the average smartphone today has a processing speed of several GHz. This vast difference in computing power highlights the incredible advancements we have made in technology over the past few decades. In this article, we will explore the moon landing computing power and compare it to the computing power of today’s mobile phones.
The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC)
The AGC was a groundbreaking computer system developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Instrumentation Laboratory for NASA’s Apollo program. It was responsible for guiding the Apollo spacecraft to the moon and back. The AGC had a memory capacity of 36 kilobytes and operated on a 16-bit word length. It used core rope memory, a type of read-only memory that was woven by hand, to store its software.
Despite its limited processing power and memory capacity, the AGC was a marvel of engineering at the time. It was designed to be lightweight, reliable, and capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of space travel. The AGC’s software was meticulously written to optimize its performance and ensure the success of the mission.
Fast-forward comparing a 1980s supercomputer to the modern smartphone
Adobe Acrobat Team Copy to Clipboard Perhaps you’ve heard that the smartphone in your pocket is powerful enough to have put a man on the moon in 1969. It’s one of those facts you read online that seems unbelievable, but in fact, a modern smartphone is exponentially more powerful than the guidance computer NASA used for the famous Apollo 11 mission.
Ever faster, technology advances at warp speed and computing power grows exponentially. Especially in our hyper-connected digital world, we are continuously reminded by the annual release of increasingly impressive smartphones one-upping previous models with new features, more speed, and greater capabilities.
Even those ’80s supercomputers, seen today as dusty monoliths, were already light-years ahead of the one that helped put Neil Armstrong on the moon more than half a century ago. By 1985, the supercomputer CRAY-2 had become the fastest and most powerful machine ever built. It set the world record with a peak performance of 1.9 gigaflops, or 1.9 billion floating point operations per second (FLOPS), vastly exceeding the 12,250 FLOPS peak performance of the Apollo 11 Guidance Computer just 16 years earlier.
The CRAY-2 supercomputer was designed for the United States Departments of Defense and Energy, primarily to be used for nuclear weapons research and oceanographic development.
Compare that to today’s smartphones, which are about 5,000 times faster than the CRAY-2 and have democratized technology for everyone putting immense computing power literally in our hands and enabling previously unimaginable tasks like using your mobile device to convert online documents to PDFs.
Source: blog.adobe.com
Today’s Mobile Phone Computing Power
Fast forward to the present day, and we have smartphones that are more powerful than the computers that sent humans to the moon. Modern smartphones are equipped with processors that have multiple cores and clock speeds in the gigahertz range. They have gigabytes of RAM and storage capacities that can reach terabytes with the use of external memory cards.
Smartphones have become an integral part of our lives, serving as our communication devices, cameras, entertainment centers, and much more. They are capable of running complex applications, playing high-definition videos, and performing tasks that were unimaginable just a few decades ago.
Fast-forward comparing a 1980s supercomputer to the modern smartphone
Advancements in Technology
The Apollo Guidance Computers that guided the moon landings were truly revolutionary devices at the time. They were incredibly advanced for their era, and with only 36kB of memory, 24 registers and a heavy reliance on manual calculations, they helped make space exploration possible. While they certainly made history, it is notable to compare these computers to today’s modern-day smartphones which have exponentially more powerful hardware and capabilities.
In the decade since the Apollo mission launched, mobile computing has come a long way. Today’s average smartphone has over 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space – more than what could be said about these early NASA-created devices. Not only this but multiple onboard processors exist alongside multi-core CPUs along with 4G LTE internet capabilities give us some idea how far mobile technology has come in less than 50 years after the first manned space mission brought us man’s first steps on another celestial body. It is safe to say that our modern smartphones are indeed light years ahead of the Apollo guidance computers in terms of capability and power.
The advancements in technology that have led to the exponential increase in computing power can be attributed to several factors:
- Moore’s Law: The observation made by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles approximately every two years. This has led to the miniaturization of transistors and the ability to pack more processing power into smaller devices.
- Improved Manufacturing Processes: The development of new manufacturing processes, such as nanotechnology, has allowed for the creation of smaller and more efficient electronic components.
- Integration of Multiple Technologies: The integration of various technologies, such as processors, memory, and sensors, into a single chip has resulted in more powerful and compact devices.
Implications and Applications
The increase in computing power has had a profound impact on various industries and sectors:
- Communication: Smartphones have revolutionized communication by enabling instant messaging, video calls, and social media interactions.
- Entertainment: The gaming industry has benefited greatly from the increased computing power, allowing for more immersive and realistic gaming experiences.
- Healthcare: Mobile devices are being used in healthcare for remote patient monitoring, telemedicine, and medical research.
- Artificial Intelligence: The advancements in computing power have fueled the development of artificial intelligence technologies, such as voice assistants and image recognition.
Conclusion
The computing power that made the moon landing possible was a remarkable achievement for its time. However, the computing power of today’s mobile phones far surpasses what was available during the Apollo missions. The advancements in technology have allowed us to carry powerful computers in our pockets and have transformed the way we live, work, and communicate. As technology continues to evolve, it is exciting to imagine what the future holds for computing power and its applications.
REFERENCES
Adobe Acrobat Team Copy to Clipboard Perhaps you’ve heard that the smartphone in your pocket is powerful enough to have put a man on the moon in 1969. It’s one of those facts you read online that seems unbelievable, but in fact, a modern smartphone is exponentially more powerful than the guidance computer NASA used for the famous Apollo 11 mission.
Anchor Text: read online
External Link: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/apollo-11-moon-landing-mobile-phones-smartphone-iphone-a8988351.html
Most of the system’s memory was literally woven into the computer using rope memory, or a series of copper threads configured in a way that resembles childrens’ pot holder weaving kits.
Anchor Text: pot holder weaving kits
External Link: https://www.amazon.com/Harrisville-Designs-Traditional-Potholder-Potholders/dp/B00000IV3U
Besides AGC, thousands of flight technicians and computer engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center IBM System/360 Model 75s mainframe computer in order to make independent computations and maintain communication between Earth and lunar landers.
Anchor Text: Goddard Space Flight Center
External Link: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html
At first, programmers began writing code using punch cards. After everything was visually scrutinized for errors, the printed codes were then sent to a Raytheon factory, where former employees, mostly women, of New England textile mills, wove the copper wires and magnetic core into a long “rope” of wire. The programs were written in the same binary code we use today. A wire through a tiny magnetic hole represented a one, and wrapping a wire around the core represented zero.
Anchor Text: programmers began writing code
External Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/margaret-hamilton-led-nasa-software-team-landed-astronauts-moon-180971575/
In contrast to 1969, today, software engineering is among the most in-demand professions. Graduates of Hack Reactor’s coding bootcamps can earn well into six figures. At SpaceX and NASA, software engineers can make up to $170,000 per year.
Anchor Text: SpaceX
External Link: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/SpaceX-Software-Engineer-Salaries-E40371_D_KO7,24.htm