Properties of a Pocket Calculator for Astronauts

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(09-12-2019 09:46 AM)teenix Wrote:  A poor lens to look through at history I know, but the Apollo 13 movie showed the astronauts having to do a corridor burn manually with the computer powered down. I didn't see them grabbing for the HP's though :-) Hollywood fantasy maybe?

The only Apollo mission that carried a pocket calculator (HP-65) on board was the Apollo-Soyuz-Test-Project in 1975. Apollo 13 was in 1970. The invention of the programmable scientific pocket calculator had not yet happened then ;-)

And no, Apollo 13 did not perform any major burns without a computer. They were all done using the computer (and engines) of the lunar module. Only the final two small alignment burns (one for the correct re-entry trajectory and the other one to make sure that the radio-isotope-generator on board the lunar module would fall into the ocean) were done manually by visual alignment. See for example here: https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/s...ion-part-3

Regards
Max

NB: An astronaut in space costs in the order of a million Dollars or Euros a day. Using a pocket calculator instead of some efficient, dedicated equipment would mean an incredible waste of money. My taxes! So please do not give pocket calculators to astronauts :-)