Date
2023-05-15Author
Vahrenkamp, RichardSubject
300 Social sciences USAMilitärIBM <Marke>Von Neumann, JohnRechenmaschineLuft- und RaumfahrtindustrieMetadata
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Working paper
The Computing Boom in the U.S. Aeronautical Industry, 1945–1965
Abstract
Whereas standard accounts on the history of modern computing tell the development of the digital computer as an isolated event on the East Coast of the U.S., this paper will show the history of machine computing in the context of the broad and rapid development of aeronautical weapons in the U.S. military since 1945. Analogue computing plays an important role that is nearly completely ignored by standard accounts. The extensive literature on the history of electronic digital computers does not take into account the special history of computing machines that the U.S. aircraft and missile industry employed from 1945 to 1965. The paper shows the way in which the aircraft industry applied digital computing parallel to analogue computing. Then, the paper shows the cautious steps towards digital computing in the aircraft and missile industry, from the IBM 604 punch card machine, to slow digital computers with drums, to high speed digital computers. The paper will give some evidence to show that it was not before 1957 that an airplane was flown which was designed with the aid of a high speed digital computer. Up to 1970, this kind of computer did not replace the electronic analogue computers that were needed throughout the design process of the aircraft and missile industry. In addition, in missile and space programs, electronic analogue computers prevailed in Air Force research centres, and in those of NASA. For example, in the research centre in Langley, Virginia, NASA set up a large, all-purpose analogue computer for the Mercury project in 1960.
Citation
@unpublished{doi:10.17170/kobra-202305208067,
author={Vahrenkamp, Richard},
title={The Computing Boom in the U.S. Aeronautical Industry, 1945–1965},
year={2023}
}
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2023-06-09T05:55:03Z 2023-06-09T05:55:03Z 2023-05-15 doi:10.17170/kobra-202305208067 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/14803 eng Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Huntsville von Braun Hoelzer IBM 604 Langley MADDIDA Northrop Aircraft card programmed calculator CPC IBM 701 main frame Royal Mcbee LPC30 IBM 605 IBM 704 IBM 7090 Project Typhoon SSEC Project Cyclone EAI Pace 231 Ramo Wooldridge ICBM Advisory Board ICBM Atlas Teapot committee simulation council Project Mercury Wright Aeronautic guided missile Douglas Aircraft Convair ERA 1101 GEDA Reeves Instruments Goodyear Aircraft Boeing Aircraft REAC Fordism CRC 102 John von Neumann 300 The Computing Boom in the U.S. Aeronautical Industry, 1945–1965 Working paper Whereas standard accounts on the history of modern computing tell the development of the digital computer as an isolated event on the East Coast of the U.S., this paper will show the history of machine computing in the context of the broad and rapid development of aeronautical weapons in the U.S. military since 1945. Analogue computing plays an important role that is nearly completely ignored by standard accounts. The extensive literature on the history of electronic digital computers does not take into account the special history of computing machines that the U.S. aircraft and missile industry employed from 1945 to 1965. The paper shows the way in which the aircraft industry applied digital computing parallel to analogue computing. Then, the paper shows the cautious steps towards digital computing in the aircraft and missile industry, from the IBM 604 punch card machine, to slow digital computers with drums, to high speed digital computers. The paper will give some evidence to show that it was not before 1957 that an airplane was flown which was designed with the aid of a high speed digital computer. Up to 1970, this kind of computer did not replace the electronic analogue computers that were needed throughout the design process of the aircraft and missile industry. In addition, in missile and space programs, electronic analogue computers prevailed in Air Force research centres, and in those of NASA. For example, in the research centre in Langley, Virginia, NASA set up a large, all-purpose analogue computer for the Mercury project in 1960. open access Vahrenkamp, Richard 55 Seiten Kassel, Universität Kassel, Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaften USA Militär IBM <Marke> Von Neumann, John Rechenmaschine Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie publishedVersion Working Papers on the History of Computing No. 5/2019 false
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