Gregory's ServerHow did Russian cosmonauts know where they were? The Globus INK (1967) showed the position of their Soyuz spacecraft on a rotating globe. It is an analog computer built from tiny gears. I reverse-engineered the wiring (which inconveniently had been cut) and we powered it up. π§΅
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@dtauvdiodr Note that we're running the Globus at 10 hertz to make the motion more visible. In use, it just clicks once per second. Also, it's probably quieter when the case is on and it is installed in the console. The Globus is driven by solenoids. We "overclocked" the Globus and ran it at 10 hertz instead of 1 hertz because its motion is too slow to see otherwise: 90 minutes for an orbit and 24 hours for the Earth to rotate. Here's a clip showing the Globus running at its correct speed. For more about the internals of the Globus, see my blog post:  @kenshirriff I love this stuff, so quirky and simple yet it was good enough to get people safely back from orbit. @kenshirriff thanks for sharing these details. Iβve been fascinated by the Globus since seeing a reference & a few images years ago. @kenshirriff Pair that with the clock clicking away and that capsule had to be incredibly noisy. @kenshirriff Thanks and interesting! I'm thinking fire hazard and risk to other instrumentation. Given the electric gear drive mechanism it must have been carefully constructed to avoid overheating and carefully wired to avoid short circuit and ground faults. As far as you know, were there other similarly complex clockwork mechanisms running alongside?  @kenshirriff In an orbiting Soyuz, was the solenoid clockwork the dominant background noise inside the capsule? Cosmonaut: You get to float weightless in orbit around our planet, but you're trapped in a small space with a loud clock. @kenshirriff From the way it sounds I half expect there should be a paper tape coming out of it. I guess I've watched too many of Curious Marc's teletype videos.  @kenshirriff This is amazing. Thanks! Really would love to see more details of the mechanism inside a video for better understanding.   @kenshirriff We exhibited one of these in an exhibit on exploration at the National Watch & Clock Museum back in 2009 I think. It was a hit with visitors, though the one we borrowed wasnβt operational. @kenshirriff @siracusa @kenshirriff The most atompunk thing I'll see this week! What else could I call the style/genre?    @kenshirriff Do you have more vid of how you did that? That's a YT vid just waiting to go viral for all the nerds and OCD freaks like me! @DJWhite CuriousMarc is making some YouTube videos about the Globus.   @kenshirriff You guys really should stop all this messing around with space artifacts on the ground and just launch a manned flight. π   @kenshirriff Any idea what the orange/red areas on the map represent? I would expect those to be mountains, but it doesn't line up with actual mountain ranges
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@kenshirriff That is AMAZING, I need one! Were the cosmonauts also constantly hearing that sound? Could they discern velocity or change in position by listening to the clicks?