| |
|
|
|
| |
NORC's fame was extended literally out of this world when
astronomer Dr. Paul Herget, Director of the Cincinnati
Observatory, arranged to name an asteroid discovered in
1953 for the computer. (The asteroid NORC revolves around
the Sun once every 5.6 years in an orbit between Mars
and Jupiter.) Under Dr. Herget's direction, and the sponsorship
of the Office of Naval Research and the National Science
Foundation, the earthbound NORC was used to compute the
orbits of celestial bodies, including the most precise
orbit of the Earth for the 1920-2000 period. In discussing
one of NORC's accomplishments in May 1956, Dr. Herget
said: "We used nine hours of running time and completed
more computations than had ever before been done at one
time in the history of astronomy."
NORC's place in the computer chronicles is also assured
by its relative longevity. Not only was NORC the world's
most powerful computer for several years but it also continued
to provide useful service well into the System/360 era
in the late-1960s.
You can learn more about this remarkable machine on the
occasion of its Golden Anniversary by visiting the NORC
Reference room
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
