alt Hacker NewsOn the topic of ferromagnetic computing, was there ever any serious investigation of Parametron type machines for at least parts of the flight control or other critical systems where interruptions would have been very serious?
On the topic of ferromagnetic computing, was there ever any serious investigation of Parametron type machines for at least parts of the flight control or other critical systems where interruptions would have been very serious?
I assume you're interested in magnetic core logic computers in general, not specifically Parametrons. In the late 1950s, NASA considered core-transistor logic for a spacecraft navigation computer due to its lower power consumption. The prototype version of the Apollo Guidance Computer (1962) used core-transistor logic. But improvements in transistors made core-transistor logic less appealing, not to mention the arrival of ICs. At the end of 1962, NASA decided to use ICs for the Apollo Guidance Computer and abandoned core-transistor logic. The updated AGC kept the core memory and core rope ROM of the earlier AGC, though.