Techno-Archaelogy and Revivalism!
The incredible team of Curious Marc, Ken Shirriff, Carl Claunch, and Mike Stewart got the Apollo Guidance Computer running that’s in the current Sotheby’s auction. They revived my Soyuz Spacecraft Clock and even crafted a new driver making it a Soviet space program Cuckoo-clock. This weekend, they picked up the ground equipment to fire up the Apollo Command Module S-Band Transponder and tube amp — the 20 watt system that handled all communication (voice, television, command, tracking and ranging) between the Earth and the Moon. Yes, just 20 watts across 240,000 miles.
• Marc’s Video Tour, Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y-MosGsFMs
• Ken Shirriff’s Blog Post on the TWT amp: https://www.righto.com/2021/07/inside-20-watt-traveling-wave-tube.html
• Sotheby’s AGC auction (not mine, I have a more complete one): https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/space-exploration/apollo-guidance-computer
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