This page is to bring together some information on the Apollo Moon Landings. I was inspired (if that’s the word) by listening to the BBC Radio podcast series “13 Minutes to the Moon”.
The podcast is built around the 13 minutes that it took the Lunar Lander to descend from moon orbit to the surface of the moon, but it uses that as a device to range far and wide over the Apollo program.
Now obviously an important part of that landing was the Apollo Guidance Computer. (I don’t know why this piece of garbage WordPress has this link as strike through, it should not be, it works fine). If you have a basic interest in electronics and early computers then I recommend this series of videos on YouTube from CuriousMarc. In these videos they put back together and get working an Apollo Guidance Computer including then connecting it a simulation allowing them to use it to “land on the moon”. It will give you a more detailed understanding of the AGC.
The podcast is “Thirteen Minutes to the Moon” from the BBC World Service, and it provides a really fantastic exploration of the Apollo program leading up the Moon landings. You can find it on the BBC Web site, but you can also find it wherever you find your podcasts.
There is a season 2 on Apollo 13 and all it’s issues – which I haven’t listened to yet…..
I am old enough to remember the Apollo program, although I was of course quite young. I do remember watching in the previous missions being explained by James Burke. I also remember my father waking me up early one morning to watch the actual moon landing.
