Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis
Thanks Gary - but that begs the question, who assembles the wiring looms and multi-plane boards for the core memory boards in Argo Navis...  |
Hi Dennis,
LOL.
In that case you may be interested
in this 1965 short documentary
that was part of a regular MIT series called the Science Reporter.
In this episode, MIT reporter John Fitch visits the MIT
Instrumentation Laboratory and Raytheon whilst they are assembling
the Apollo computers.
In particular I draw your attention to the 20m45s mark where they
show the assembly of the core memory modules.
It was true then and largely true today that the most patient, skilled
and dexterous operators on a factory floor where some intricate work
is involved tend to be women rather than men.
Note how they hand stitch the core.
Video here :-
https://youtu.be/ndvmFlg1WmE
At the same time all this was going on, skilled woman at the
International Latex Corporation, the same company that made
Playtex bras and girdles, hand-stitched the Apollo EVA spacesuits.
Arguably up to that time, the most sophisticated and possibly most
expensive garments ever made.
By the way, there are other episodes in the MIT Science Reporter series
from the same period on YouTube, including others devoted to
Apollo.
For example, this one where he speaks with none other than Thomas
Kelly, the engineer who led the team at Grumman, on building the
Lunar Excursion Module, is absolutely fabulous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikYHsXF_k0Q