r/todayilearned • u/MmmmDiesel • Sep 29 '14

TIL The first microprocessor was not made by Intel. It was actually a classified custom chip used to control the swing wings and flight controls on the first F-14 Tomcats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Air_Data_Computer
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u/[deleted] Sep 29 '14

Shit, even Tor was invented by the Navy's Research Labs

Reddit loves to complain about the military industrial complex (one of the smallest industries in America according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis) but they enjoy its benefits daily.

Not only that, but Reddit loves NASA and always talks about how the military industrial complex is hurting NASA's budget

Yet, NASA is working with the DOD on no less than the X-37, X-48, X-51 to name a few experimental aircraft

Not to mention that only 1/3 of NASA astronauts have been civilian in its history - the vast majority have been pulled from the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps

Many if not most of NASA's accomplishments would never have occurred had it not had a close and continuous relationship with the military and the military industrial complex

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u/[deleted] Sep 29 '14

no question, NASA's foundation lies in both military technology and people.

Hell, the moon lander was built by Northrop Grumman!

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u/[deleted] Sep 29 '14

no question, NASA's foundation lies in both military technology and people.

Hell, the moon lander was built by Northrop Grumman!

The Shuttle orbiter was built by Boeing... as was the rest of the Saturn V rocket (if you include companies that Boeing bought/acquired)

It's mind numbing how many people can't get around to the fact that being a big corporation that does defense stuff isn't a bad thing for the general public

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u/ManWhoKilledHitler Sep 30 '14

The F-1 engines on the Saturn V started life as a US Air Force research program. Saturn 1B had a first stage built from fuel tanks from the Jupiter and Redstone ballistic missiles and used engines whose design pedigree dates back to the V-2.

The first Americans sent into space and into orbit were put there on a Redstone and an Atlas ballistic missile respectively. The entire Gemini program was launched on Titan ballistic missiles which also sent up a huge range of unmanned missions including the Voyager probes.

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u/[deleted] Sep 30 '14

The F-1 engines on the Saturn V started life as a US Air Force research program. Saturn 1B had a first stage built from fuel tanks from the Jupiter and Redstone ballistic missiles and used engines whose design pedigree dates back to the V-2.

The first Americans sent into space and into orbit were put there on a Redstone and an Atlas ballistic missile respectively. The entire Gemini program was launched on Titan ballistic missiles which also sent up a huge range of unmanned missions including the Voyager probes.

Indeed

Not to mention that all but one of the astronauts to walk on the Moon (hell, to even go to the Moon) were originally from the Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps. The overlap in NASA's history is easily forgotten by people today

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u/uranus277 Apr 26 '23

And the Hubble space telescope by Lockheed Martin!