Sending a man to the Moon (and back).

Hilbert once remarked half-jokingly that catching a fly on the Moon would be the most important technological achievement. "Why? "Because the auxiliary technical problems which would have to be solved for such a result to be achieved imply the solution of almost all the material difficulties of mankind." (Quoted from Hilbert-Courant by Constance Reid, Springer, 1986, p. 92).

The task obviously required solving plenty of scientific and technological problems. But the key breakthrough that made it all possible was Richard Arenstorf's discovery of a stable 8-shaped orbit between the Earth and the Moon. This involved the development of a numerical algorithm for solving the restricted three-body problem which is just a special non-linear second order ODE (see also my answer to the previous MO question).

Another orbit, also mapped by Arenstorf, was later used in the dramatic rescue of the Apollo 13 crew.

Sending a man to the Moon (and back).

Hilbert once remarked half-jokingly that catching a fly on the Moon would be the most important technological achievement. "Why? "Because the auxiliary technical problems which would have to be solved for such a result to be achieved imply the solution of almost all the material difficulties of mankind." (Quoted from Hilbert-Courant by Constance Reid, Springer, 1986, p. 92).

The task obviously required solving plenty of scientific and technological problems. But the key breakthrough that made it all possible was Richard Arenstorf's discovery of a stable 8-shaped orbit between the Earth and the Moon. This involved the development of a numerical algorithm for solving the restricted three-body problem which is just a special non-linear second order ODE (see also my answer to the previous MO question).

Another orbit, also mapped by Arenstorf, was later used in the dramatic rescue of the Apollo 13 crew.

Sending a man to the Moon (and back).

Hilbert once remarked half-jokingly that catching a fly on the Moon would be the most important technological achievement. "Why? "Because the auxiliary technical problems which would have to be solved for such a result to be achieved imply the solution of almost all the material difficulties of man kind." (Quoted from Hilbert-Courant by Constance Reid, Springer, 1986, p. 92).

The task obviously required solving plenty of scientific and technological problems. But the key breakthrough that made it all possible was Richard Arenstorf's discovery of a stable 8-shaped orbit between the Earth and the Moon. This involved developing a numerical algorithm for solving the restricted three-body problem which is just a special non-linear second order ODE (see also my answer to the previous MO question).

Another orbit, also mapped by Arenstorf, was later used in the dramatic rescue of the Apollo 13 crew.

Sending a man to the Moon (and back).

Hilbert once remarked half-jokingly that catching a fly on the Moon would be the most important technological achievement. "Why? "Because the auxiliary technical problems which would have to be solved for such a result to be achieved imply the solution of almost all the material difficulties of mankind." (Quoted from Hilbert-Courant by Constance Reid, Springer, 1986, p. 92).

The task obviously required solving plenty of scientific and technological problems. But the key breakthrough that made it all possible was Richard Arenstorf's discovery of a stable 8-shaped orbit between the Earth and the Moon. This involved the development of a numerical algorithm for solving the restricted three-body problem which is just a special non-linear second order ODE (see also my answer to the previous MO question).

Another orbit, also mapped by Arenstorf, was later used in the dramatic rescue of the Apollo 13 crew.