Much if not most of the computer technology for the Apollo missions was built at IBM Owego, where my dad worked on semiconductor technology in its earliest days. One of the old pieces of junk he brought home from work was a black box with a pencil like probe hard wired to the box. The box had little metal electrodes embedded in the front of it, and when you touched one of the electrodes, a little LED bar lit up in the display. I wish I still had this device today, since this was one of the earliest 8 segment displays made. I still do have a couple of things from those days. One is a complete collection of Apollo mission patches which has an honored place on the mancave wall. The Apollo 1 mission patch is especially interesting since it has a yellow rim around it, and every other example of it I have been able to find is rimmed in black. The other thing I have is a piece of laboratory glassware that was used to grow the first gallium arsenide single crystal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Guy
Back in the day Owego was a thriving vibrant little town. Today after IBM has pulled out and the Susquehanna produced a 500 yr flood, the town is a mere shadow of its former self, kinda like the space program....
