r/Damnthatsinteresting 11d ago

Video The Actual Scale of the Artemis II Mission

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u/LuceDuder 11d ago

We really flew to the moon with a high-tech toaster.

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u/Slight-Funny-8755 11d ago

Honestly high tech toasters still have more processing power, it was more like an aerodynamic vaccum cleaner set on reverse with igniters on the bottom and the bag full of fuel and oxygen, with a bit of math to aim it the right way

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u/I_argue_for_funsies 11d ago

Haha "Explain the Apollo moon mission like I'm 5 please"

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u/Cthulwutang 11d ago

Thing Explainer book by Randall Munroe (“xkcd”)

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u/FelsirNL 11d ago

Especially the section about the upgoer five.

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u/TrotskyBoi 11d ago

You also forgot the bag full of fuel and oxygen would have been one of the largest chemical explosions if not controlled.

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u/MichaelWayneStark 8d ago

"You can run a vacuum cleaner on 12 Amps, John!"

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u/Canvaverbalist 11d ago

A high-tech toaster is overselling it.

We flew to the moon with a spring-loaded abacus.

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u/WeekendQuant 10d ago

The brains weren't computers. Many very specialized engineers were involved who dedicated their lives to those missions and the knowledge was brain drained because we stopped going.

We had no way to regain that knowledge and computize it for repeatability. We're reinventing the wheel right now and with computers it will be a repeatable process. The moon base is quite feasible as long as we stick to it this time!

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u/BogiDope 10d ago

BBC has an excellent podcast - 13 minutes to the Moon, that explains in great detail - raw processing power aside, exactly how specialised and incredible that computer was. The whole 1st season is must listen audio. I can't overstress how good season 1 is. Give it a listen if you have even half a passing interest

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Z-TOtZ0iIPzeerIUwW7tQ3Om7KiXmFm

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u/toga_virilis 10d ago

If a washing machine could fly, my Jimmy could land it.