Gregory's ServerI wrote a blog post that goes into much more detail on the Minuteman guidance system and computer, so check it out: https://www.righto.com/2024/08/minuteman-guidance-computer.html
22/23
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Top-level
 10 comments
 @kenshirriff Two "super stupid questions" .. actually one maybe a bit less stupid .. 1st question "Of course all that ( very expensive ) tech gets destroyed once the missile is launched ? I suppose when doing tests with no explosive they managed to recover it ? 2nd maybe less stupid have they ever had a "self destruct" thing to avoid such tech to accidentally end up in enemy hands if a missile launched failed to explode and could be recovered ? Maybe I am "too tinfoil hat territory" ? 😅 @gilesgoat Since the missile (and warhead) are crashing down at Mach 23 from hundreds of miles up, I don't think there would be anything left to recover. @kenshirriff Thought so, it breaks my heart to think all that fantastic tech destroyed in an instant .. 😢 @kenshirriff came for the electronics, stayed for the typefaces :D so 60s  @kenshirriff The technology is fascinating, and you've explained it very well, but promoting/sharing weapons of war doesn't feel good to me 😅  @kenshirriff This is a fantastic writeup, basically all of the ~1% of curious people in the space industry will end up reading it. As is often the case, the asides are many of my favorite parts; it feels very American to be specifically concerned about the environmental impact of your Global Thermonuclear War Machine’s cold gas thruster fuel. On footnote 8 there is a typo, “3000 km, even times the altitude”. @kenshirriff Absolutely fantastic post. Pure science and technology ( although much better to never see it in action :blobsweats: ). Many thanks for your fantastic posts !!!! |
Credits: many of the photos from National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/guidance-system-minuteman-iii/nasm_A19770995000 Minuteman I computer photo by Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minuteman_Missile_Guidance_Computer_%E3%83%BC_Computer_History_Museum_(11777981).jpg D-37C image courtesy Martin Miller: www.martin-miller.us. Diagrams from Minuteman Weapon System: https://minutemanmissile.com/documents/MinutemanWeaponSystemHistoryAndDescription.pdf Circuit board photo from bitsavers: https://bitsavers.org/pdf/autonetics/d17/pcb/57673-501/s-l1600-14.jpg Disk head assembly from LaserSam, CC BY-SA 40: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autonetics_D17b_Guidance_Computer_Disk_Drive_Read_Write_Heads_2.jpg Silo photo by Kelly Michals, CC BY-NC 2.0: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rocbolt/7372746392
23/23
Credits: many of the photos from National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/guidance-system-minuteman-iii/nasm_A19770995000 Minuteman I computer photo by Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minuteman_Missile_Guidance_Computer_%E3%83%BC_Computer_History_Museum_(11777981).jpg D-37C image courtesy Martin Miller: www.martin-miller.us. Diagrams from Minuteman Weapon System: https://minutemanmissile.com/documents...