<story><title>A computer engineer has tracked down the first Apollo guidance computer</title><url>http://www.gadget.co.za/the-hacker-the-scrapheap-and-the-first-apollo-computer/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jkot</author><text>I would argue it was  &lt;i&gt;first&lt;/i&gt; space flight guidance computer.&lt;p&gt;Technically nazis V1 had analog guidance computer and traveled in space. The same with all later ballistic missiles etc.&lt;p&gt;Early soviet manned space flights (Vostok, Voschod) were fully automated, in case pilot passes out. Americans did not  had that until Apollo.&lt;p&gt;There was even &amp;#x27;password&amp;#x27; login :-) [wiki, Vostok 1]&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; &lt;i&gt;The entire mission would be controlled by either automatic systems or by ground control. This was because medical staff and spacecraft engineers were unsure how a human might react to weightlessness, and therefore it was decided to lock the pilot&amp;#x27;s manual controls. In an unusual move, a code to unlock the controls was placed in an onboard envelope, for Gagarin&amp;#x27;s use in case of emergency.[7]:278 Prior to the flight, Kamanin and others told Gagarin the code anyway.&lt;/i&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>exDM69</author><text>Title is editorialized.&lt;p&gt;Even the US Gemini program had an on-board guidance computer before Apollo.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.m.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Gemini_Guidance_Computer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.m.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Gemini_Guidance_Computer&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>A computer engineer has tracked down the first Apollo guidance computer</title><url>http://www.gadget.co.za/the-hacker-the-scrapheap-and-the-first-apollo-computer/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jkot</author><text>I would argue it was  &lt;i&gt;first&lt;/i&gt; space flight guidance computer.&lt;p&gt;Technically nazis V1 had analog guidance computer and traveled in space. The same with all later ballistic missiles etc.&lt;p&gt;Early soviet manned space flights (Vostok, Voschod) were fully automated, in case pilot passes out. Americans did not  had that until Apollo.&lt;p&gt;There was even &amp;#x27;password&amp;#x27; login :-) [wiki, Vostok 1]&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; &lt;i&gt;The entire mission would be controlled by either automatic systems or by ground control. This was because medical staff and spacecraft engineers were unsure how a human might react to weightlessness, and therefore it was decided to lock the pilot&amp;#x27;s manual controls. In an unusual move, a code to unlock the controls was placed in an onboard envelope, for Gagarin&amp;#x27;s use in case of emergency.[7]:278 Prior to the flight, Kamanin and others told Gagarin the code anyway.&lt;/i&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>alephnil</author><text>The V1[1] was a pulsejet powered cruise missile, and while it also had a analog guidance system, I guess you mean V2[2], that was the first long range ballistic missile.&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;V-1_flying_bomb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;V-1_flying_bomb&lt;/a&gt;
[2] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;V-2_rocket&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;V-2_rocket&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>