Apollo in Real Time Forum

Message Boards => Apollo 13 Moments of Interest => Topic started by: MadDogBV on July 05, 2021, 11:14:04 am

Title: 054:21:56 RETRO asks FIDO and GUIDO for a slide rule
Post by: MadDogBV on July 05, 2021, 11:14:04 am

This is a neat little on-the-loop conversation in the midst of all of the mid-course vector and dynamics planning that is taking place on the FIDO loop. RETRO Bobby Spencer asks FIDO Bill Stoval, then GUIDO Will Fenner, if they have a slide rule handy. Surprisingly it seems neither of them have one spare - then again, it is a quiet shift.

Never leave your slide rule at home!

Edit: I think near the end of the conversation, Will Fenner is referring to an "alidade in the back room" though he gets cut off so it's hard to tell.

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=054:21:56&ch=20

Title: Re: 054:21:56 RETRO asks FIDO and GUIDO for a slide rule
Post by: Naraht on January 04, 2022, 11:26:21 am

Quote from: MadDogBV on July 05, 2021, 11:14:04 am

Edit: I think near the end of the conversation, Will Fenner is referring to an "alidade in the back room" though he gets cut off so it's hard to tell.

Pretty sure it's actually "an Olivetti," ie a calculator: https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-calculator-that-helped-land-men-on-the-moon

For example Jay Greene (whose accent is more comprehensible to me anyway!) saying here, "I went back and I divided it on the Olivetti." https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=-08:59:31&ch=20

Title: Re: 054:21:56 RETRO asks FIDO and GUIDO for a slide rule
Post by: MadDogBV on January 04, 2022, 12:29:16 pm

Oh that's what it is! Thank you! I've heard it referenced twice on the loops now, and couldn't figure out what the heck it was called via Google searches.