The 3 Things You Can’t Even Imagine About the Apollo 11 Mission

By Alejandro Oliveira Jala University student

In this post you will find:

The 3 Things You Can't Even Imagine About the Apollo 11 Mission

We must admit that the Apollo missions are already quite old, and we barely remember what really happened and how close those missions came to failing. Today, you will catch up and join me to feel the thrill of traveling to the moon once again.

1. The Ghost Signals: 1201 and 1202

In the movie clip from “First Man,” we can see how the error signals 1201 and 1202 appear on the crew’s control panels right at the 2:00 minute mark. This was a surprise to both, as they had no prior knowledge of this phenomenon.

Both alarms began to sound throughout the descent process, which could have made both pilots nervous.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the NASA team was looking for the team responsible for the mission’s systems and software. They soon discovered that the software operated in the following way: The team in charge quickly found in their notes that this code meant that the computer was clearing the task list of low-priority processes to devote all processing power to the descent functions.

Once the mystery of what the error message meant was resolved, the descent to the Moon proceeded and was successful. It was later discovered that the error messages were not due to a software problem, but rather because of a process oversight given to Buzz Aldrin (the second man of the crew, behind the famous Neil Armstrong). For the preparation of the instruments, he was instructed to turn on a radar that was not used during the descent but could be useful in case the mission needed to be aborted. This radar began to overload the system’s processing with measurement tasks due to all kinds of readings coming from its sensors. Fortunately, because there was a plan in place to resolve such an issue, the situation did not result in any incident.

2. Dumber Every Day

The astronaut James Lovell from ‘Apollo 8’ greets those who have come to witness the launch for the six-day lunar orbit. James Lovell is accompanied by Commander Frank Borman (right) and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, on December 21, 1968.

Apollo 8 was the second manned mission of the United States’ Apollo space program. The mission began on December 21, 1968, and was the first manned mission to leave Earth orbit, reach and orbit the Moon, and then return to Earth.

There you can clearly see the gang of kids who would soon be about to make a terrible mistake…

The “official” story recounts that during some free time in the middle of the mission, Lovell took the opportunity to make some navigational observations, maneuvering the module to view various stars using the computer keyboard. However, he accidentally erased a bit of the computer’s memory, which caused the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to think that the module was in the same relative position as it had been before launch and fired the thrusters to “correct” the module’s orientation.

However, this story has another angle

During the design phase of the navigation system for the Apollo missions, a bug was detected thanks to Lauren, the daughter of Margaret Hamilton, who was playing with the hybrid simulation system of the computer and accidentally activated the “prelaunch” program (P01) during a mission, causing a system error that resulted in the deletion of already loaded navigation data. Given the incident, Hamilton proposed a modification to the system to prevent this from happening on a real mission, but the administration responded that it did not consider the possibility since the astronauts were trained to avoid such human errors. However, during the Apollo 8 mission, and although Hamilton had clearly documented the problem, the astronauts accidentally executed the P01 program in the middle of the mission, entering a critical mode without flight data. Thankfully, due to Hamilton’s documentation, it was known how to resend the navigation data in case this accident occurred. Shortly after the incident, the changes originally proposed by Hamilton were approved for subsequent missions.

This deep understanding of how software operates paves the way for more efficient integration of AI in the software development and maintenance processes. Those who thoroughly understand the problem domain they face can leverage artificial intelligence to amplify their productivity and efficiency.

3. The heroine who saved the moon

Thanks to the insight of Margaret Hamilton, the Apollo missions were not only epic journeys to the Moon but also thrilling dramas full of unexpected situations.

So, the next time you look at the Moon and remember the feat of Apollo 11, think of the ghost signals, the cosmic oversights, and above all, the incredible woman behind the screen, Margaret Hamilton. She not only saved missions but also changed the game in the world of programming, demonstrating that in the conquest of space, sometimes the real star is behind the computer.

In a universe full of uncertainties, computer errors, and moments of pure ingenuity, Margaret Hamilton stands out as the heroine who saved the Moon. Her legacy endures, not only in the history of space exploration but also in the history of women who defied expectations and left their bright mark on the firmament of science and technology.

So, you know, the next time you face a problem, think of Margaret and ask yourself: What would the engineer who saved the Moon do? Because, as she well demonstrated, sometimes the answer lies in challenging the established and finding ingenious solutions, even when the fate of humanity hangs by a thread… or a programming code.

Until the next space adventure, where science, technology, and cosmic humor meet in an intergalactic dance! 🚀✨

Bibliography

In the “History of Software Engineering” course at Jala University, we thoroughly explore the evolution of software engineering, covering its history, pioneering figures, and key moments. A fundamental goal of the course is to avoid a monotonous approach. For this reason, the instructors have innovated the teaching methodology, giving students a central role: the creation and publication of an online blog.

In this blog, students are responsible for developing a specific topic related to the subject. This project culminates with a presentation at the end of the course by each team, followed by an interactive question and answer session. In this way, we foster a dynamic and participative educational experience, allowing students not only to learn about the subject but also to develop essential skills in communication and analysis.

This article was written in Spanish and has been translated into English and Portuguese with ChatGPT.

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