在云存储、固态硬盘或硅微芯片出现之前，代码实际上是手工编织到空间中的。 🧵🚀 20 世纪 60 年代，NASA 面临阿波罗计划的巨大挑战：如何将一台具有足够内存的机载计算机发送到深空以导航到月球，而不会被辐射或宇宙射线损坏？ 解决方案是核心绳索内存，被亲切地称为“小老太太内存”（哈哈内存）。 以下是软件如何转变为硬件，将人类带上月球的过程： 1️⃣ 线程中编写的代码 Core Rope Memory 不是以电子方式将数据存储在晶体管中，而是以几何方式存储程序代码： 穿过磁性铁氧体磁芯的铜线 = 二进制 1 围绕核心布线的铜线 = 二进制 0 如果断电或宇宙辐射击中制导计算机，该软件仍然完好无损，因为它实际上已融入物理架构中。 2️⃣ 阿波罗背后的织工 麻省理工学院的玛格丽特·汉密尔顿和她的团队最终确定了软件代码后，将其转换为二进制指令并发送到马萨诸塞州的雷神公司工厂。 他们雇用了谁来建造它？熟练的女纺织工人。 工厂织布工使用长针，将数百根细铜线穿过安装在专用织机上的微小磁环。在被称为“绳索母亲”的楼层经理的监督下，这些工匠手工编写了 72 KB 的代码，为阿波罗制导计算机 (AGC) 提供动力。 3️⃣ 软件更新需要数周时间 没有 git 推送或无线更新。如果发现错误，编织者必须用针将电线解开并重新编织。生产新的内存模块需要数周时间，但精度非常高，几乎不存在错误率。 💡 工程课程 Core Rope Memory 是在极端约束下诞生的软硬件协同设计的杰出范例。它证明，当技术达到其物理极限时，创新往往来自跨学科的解决方案，在这种情况下，将软件工程与古老的纺织技术相结合。 您最喜欢的解决高科技问题的“低技术”工程是什么？下面就来讨论一下吧！ 👇 Before cloud storage, solid-state drives, or silicon microchips, code was literally woven into space by hand. 🧵🚀 During the 1960s, NASA faced a massive challenge for the Apollo program: how do you send an onboard computer into deep space with enough memory to navigate to the Moon—without it being corrupted by radiation or cosmic rays? The solution was Core Rope Memory, affectionately nicknamed "Little Old Lady Memory" (LOL Memory). Here is how software was turned into hardware that brought humanity to the Moon: 1️⃣ Code Written in Thread Instead of storing data electronically in transistors, Core Rope Memory stored program code geometrically: A copper wire threaded THROUGH a magnetic ferrite core = Binary 1 A copper wire routed AROUND the core = Binary 0 If power was lost or cosmic radiation hit the guidance computer, the software stayed perfectly intact because it was literally woven into the physical architecture. 2️⃣ The Weavers Behind Apollo Once Margaret Hamilton and her team at MIT finalized the software code, it was converted into binary instructions and sent to a Raytheon factory in Massachusetts. Who did they hire to build it? Skilled female textile workers. Using long needles, factory weavers threaded hundreds of fine copper wires through tiny magnetic rings mounted on specialized looms. Overseen by floor managers known as "rope mothers," these artisans hand-wove the 72 KB of code that powered the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC). 3️⃣ Software Updates Took Weeks There was no git push or over-the-air update. If a bug was found, a weaver had to physically unthread the wire with a needle and re-weave it. Producing a new memory module took weeks, but the precision was so high that error rates were virtually non-existent. 💡 The Engineering Lesson Core Rope Memory is a brilliant example of hardware-software co-design born out of extreme constraint. It proves that when technology hits its physical limits, innovation often comes from cross-disciplinary solutions—in this case, marrying software engineering with ancient textile techniques. What’s your favorite piece of "low-tech" engineering that solved a high-tech problem? Let’s discuss below! 👇 http://t.cn/AXjga6Eu
