Key Moments
The man who invented the countdown | Deborah Douglas | TEDxMIT
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Key Moments
The iconic countdown, now a pop culture staple for New Year's and space launches, originated in a 1929 German science fiction film, not early rocketry.
Key Insights
The first liquid-fueled rocket, developed by Robert Goddard in 1926, flew for only 2.5 seconds.
The New York Times initially dismissed Robert Goddard's rocket research as "a severe strain on credulity" and a charlatan's work, later retracting the statement after the Apollo 11 mission.
The concept of the countdown sequence famously originated in the 1929 German silent film 'Frau im Mond' (The Woman in the Moon).
Every second of every space mission, including Apollo and Artemis, is meticulously accounted for in detailed flight plans.
The Apollo guidance computer, about 1.5 cubic feet, possessed less computing power than modern smartphones.
MIT programmers developed 'interrupt-driven software' for the Apollo guidance computer, allowing tasks to be prioritized and preempted in real-time, a crucial innovation for spaceflight.
The dream of Mars sparked by an 1898 novel
The public's fascination with space travel often begins with grand narratives, but for Robert Goddard, the seeds were sown in personal ambition and literary inspiration. Unlike many of his peers, Goddard, who was initially two years behind in high school due to illness, harbored a profound, almost prescient, dream of spaceflight. On October 19th, 1899, while trimming a cherry tree, he imagined creating a device capable of reaching Mars. This vision was significantly influenced by H.G. Wells's 'The War of the Worlds,' published the previous year. Wells's serialization in newspapers, with regionalized adaptations, captured imaginations worldwide, planting the idea of interplanetary travel. Goddard's high school commencement address in Worcester in 1900 eloquently captured this spirit, asserting that "no one can predict what heights... he may rise until he has honestly endeavored," reflecting a belief that yesterday's dreams could become tomorrow's realities. This early, ambitious outlook, coupled with a burgeoning scientific curiosity fueled by publications like 'Scientific American,' set the stage for his pioneering work in rocketry.
Goddard's groundbreaking flight and early skepticism
After earning multiple degrees and a PhD, Robert Goddard became dedicated to making space travel a reality. His 1926 liquid-fueled rocket flight in Auburn, Massachusetts, a mere 40 miles from MIT, achieved a modest two-and-a-half-second flight that rose 41 feet. While brief, this flight proved the viability of liquid fuel propulsion, the foundational principle for rockets still in use today. Despite this significant achievement, Goddard faced considerable public and scientific skepticism. His 1919 pamphlet, 'A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes,' which the Smithsonian Institution published, garnered attention but also fierce criticism. The New York Times famously published an article calling his ideas "a severe strain on credulity," labeling him a charlatan. This early negative press deeply affected Goddard, making him reclusive and cautious about sharing his work, leading to strict secrecy agreements with his small team in Roswell, New Mexico. Years later, on July 17th, 1969, the day after Apollo 11 launched, the New York Times issued a retraction, acknowledging that "a rocket can function in a vacuum as well as in the atmosphere," regretting its earlier dismissal.
The cinematic birth of the countdown
While Robert Goddard was pioneering rocket technology, the iconic 'countdown' that punctuates space launches and New Year's Eve celebrations did not originate from his work or early space programs. Its genesis lies in popular culture, specifically in the 1929 German silent film 'Frau im Mond' (The Woman in the Moon), directed by Fritz Lang and based on a novel by his wife, Thea von Harbou. This film, a science fiction classic, depicted a rocket launch sequence that included a dramatic countdown from ten to one. Whether inspired by a young Romanian student's failed dissertation on rocketry at the University of Heidelberg or by the general fascination with the future, the film's use of the countdown resonated widely. This cinematic innovation, not a practical aerospace necessity at the time, became ingrained in popular culture, influencing how the public perceived and anticipated launch events, long before it was a standard operational procedure for actual space missions.
Meticulous planning for every second of space missions
The contrast between the fictional countdown and the reality of spaceflight planning is stark. Modern space missions, from satellite launches to human endeavors like the Artemis program, operate on incredibly detailed flight plans where every second is accounted for. For the Apollo missions, these plans were compiled into books as thick as a telephone directory, outlining every action, every measurement, and every communication for the duration of the journey. This level of precision reflects the immense complexity and unforgiving nature of space travel, where deviations can have catastrophic consequences. The flight plans are structured around modern, linear concepts of time, underscoring the need for absolute predictability and control in an environment where there is no room for error.
The Apollo guidance computer: a marvel of minimalist engineering
The success of the Apollo missions, famously championed by President John F. Kennedy's challenge to land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s, was heavily reliant on the ingenuity of engineers and programmers at MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory (now Draper Laboratory). Central to this effort was the Apollo guidance computer (AGC). This computer, roughly a cubic foot and a half in size, possessed significantly less computing power than a modern smartphone. However, to accomplish intricate tasks such as navigating to the moon and back, developers had to think exceptionally cleverly. The limited processing power necessitated innovative software design to manage the overwhelming demands of a space mission.
Interrupt-driven software: revolutionizing real-time computing
The challenge of operating the AGC in real-time, meaning it could not afford to wait for lengthy calculations, led to the development of a groundbreaking concept: interrupt-driven software. This architecture, conceived by Hal Lanning, allowed the computer to manage multiple tasks not sequentially, but by prioritizing and preempting them as needed. Each program was assigned a specific time slot, but the system could pause a lower-priority task to execute a more urgent one immediately. This ability to 'stop and start' and manage priorities was a radical departure from common computing practices of the time. The innovation required an internal clock system, utilizing crystal oscillators to send electrical pulses that drove timing registers and counters. Programs with names like 'Time one' through 'Time six' and a 'waitlist' function managed these temporal allocations, enabling the computer to perform complex operations reliably and efficiently, making spaceflight possible.
Beyond linear time: circularity in complex systems
The journey through the history of rocketry and space timing reveals a bias towards linear time – the perception that time only moves forward. However, as American historian John Deeos suggests in his lectures 'Circles and Lines,' time can also be circular. This concept is crucial for understanding complex systems like technological advancement. While space missions are planned linearly, the underlying programming and problem-solving often involve cyclical thinking. Deeos uses the analogy of baseball, where the goal is to circle the bases and return home, and football, which involves advancing down a field, to illustrate how both linear and circular approaches are integral to human endeavors. In the context of spaceflight, the ability of programmers to think in cycles, to manage tasks dynamically and prioritize, was as vital as the linear mission planning, highlighting that our understanding of progress often embraces both forward momentum and iterative processes.
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Common Questions
The concept of the countdown as we know it in popular culture originated from the 1929 German silent film 'Frau im Mond' (The Woman on the Moon).
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Mentioned in this video
The US space agency where the speaker previously worked as a historian, highlighting its role in space exploration.
A museum where the speaker worked as a historian, showcasing its collection and relevance to aerospace history.
An institution that provided Robert Goddard with a grant, enabling the publication of his influential pamphlet 'A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes'.
A newspaper that initially published a critical and dismissive article about Goddard's work but later retracted its skepticism after the Apollo 11 mission.
The precursor to Draper Laboratory, where engineers and programmers developed the Apollo guidance computer system.
Formerly the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, responsible for developing the Apollo guidance computer.
An Apollo astronaut mentioned as a desired role for children playing space, representing historical figures in space exploration.
An Apollo astronaut mentioned as a desired role for children playing space, representing historical figures in space exploration.
An Apollo astronaut mentioned as a less desired role when children played space, representing historical figures in space exploration.
The inventor credited with the first successful liquid-fueled rocket, whose life, work, and challenges in achieving space travel are the focus of the talk.
The author of 'The War of the Worlds,' whose work is cited as a significant influence on Robert Goddard's early aspirations in space travel.
A supporter of Robert Goddard's work who helped arrange funding for his experiments, enabling them to move to Roswell, New Mexico.
Author of the novel 'Frau im Mond' and collaborator on the film of the same name, which introduced the countdown sequence.
German filmmaker and husband of Thea von Harbou, with whom she collaborated on the film 'Frau im Mond.'
US President whose challenge to send a man to the moon before the end of the decade spurred the Apollo program.
The city where Robert Goddard lived for significant portions of his life, including his childhood and studies.
The New Mexico location where Robert Goddard relocated his rocket experiments with funding from Charles Lindbergh, contributing to the area's association with extraterrestrial phenomena.
A publication that Robert Goddard subscribed to in his youth, which inspired him with news about various technological advancements.
A book by H.G. Wells published in 1898 that significantly captured Robert Goddard's imagination and likely influenced his early thoughts on space travel to Mars.
The version of 'The War of the Worlds' that Robert Goddard encountered, which placed the Martian invasion narrative in Lexington and Concord.
A 1919 pamphlet by Robert Goddard that served as a foundational text for rocketry and inspired scientists in Germany.
A detailed document outlining every second of the Apollo 11 mission, demonstrating the meticulous planning required for space travel.
A 1929 German silent film, based on a novel by Thea von Harbou, which is credited with originating the concept of a countdown in popular culture.
A silent film classic from 1927 on which Thea von Harbou collaborated with director Fritz Lang, preceding her work on 'Frau im Mond.'
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