Who’s on First? Apollo, Minuteman II, and the Birth of the Integrated Circuit Age

Article

“Who’s on First? Apollo, Minuteman II, and the Birth of the Integrated Circuit Age” by David K. Stumpf
Published in Quest Volume: 31 #4 (2024)

Abstract

It is nearly impossible for the younger generation of today to conceive of life without cell phones or the internet. The conundrum of artificial intelligence pervading society is now very real when just a short while ago it was still science fiction. The root cause of all of this was the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958. The original skepticism within the semiconductor industry gave way to an explosion of uses for the new device due to NASA’s Project Apollo, and the Air Force’s Minuteman II ICBM program embracing the new technology. Just how big a role did they each play?

Citation

Stumpf, David K. “Who’s on First? Apollo, Minuteman II, and the Birth of the Integrated Circuit Age.” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 31, no. 4 (2024): 48-56.