This archive report was first published on 13 July 2019.
On July 13, 2019, we reflect on the Apollo 11 mission, which successfully landed on the moon fifty years ago. The mission's computers had a mere 33 kilobytes of memory, a far cry from today's computers that have millions of times more.
Dr. Gran, a key figure in the mission, recalled the significance of the additional memory: 'Once we got that additional memory, we had no trouble putting digital autopilot into that additional memory.'
The Apollo 11 spacecraft was built with pride and nervousness by the team at the Downey and Bethpage facilities. When the lunar module, Eagle, finally landed on the moon, Dr. Gran exclaimed, 'Then I jumped up and down. It's like winning the lottery.'
However, the mission was not without its challenges. The parachutes of Charles Lowry, which were used to slow down the command module, had to successfully deploy to ensure a safe return to Earth. The parachutes had to slow down 13,500 pounds, a daunting task that required precision and skill.
On July 24, 1969, the astronauts returned to Earth, and the parachutes deployed successfully. Mr. Lowry recalled the feeling of relief and accomplishment: 'It was an amazing feeling of 'Yeah, we really did it.'
Today, the Downey and Bethpage facilities are a distant memory. Grumman's Long Island headquarters was abandoned after it was bought by the Northrop Corporation in 1994. North American, which merged with Rockwell International, later designed and built the space shuttles. In 1996, the aerospace piece of Rockwell was sold to Boeing, which abandoned the Downey site in 1999.
Mr. Blackburn, who worked at the facilities, reflected on the loss of these historic sites: 'That was really hard, to watch them tearing down not just history, but removing a major part of my life.'
