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Wally Schirra speaking at the event.

Among the stories he told was how he and his Apollo 7 crewmates learned to reset the navigation computer (which he called it the "1960s version of control-alt-delete"): A short distance from the training facility for the navigation system was a nurses' dormitory. The astronauts tried using the navigation system's scanning telescope to "observe" the dormitory, which involved aiming the telescope lower than design specifications and caused the computer to lock up. The technicians had to reset the system.

He went on to say that the telescope locked up in a similar fashion during the Apollo 7 mission, just before loss of signal (Mission Control did not have constant communications with spacecraft back then; they were only in contact when the spacecraft flew over a ground station). During LOS, Mission Control prepared a reset procedure to relay to the crew, but when the signal was re-acquired they where surprised to find that the astronauts had already reset the system themselves!

 
Wally Schirra speaking at the Second Annual Saturn/Apollo Reunion (2005) at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
Time picture taken Sat Aug 27 19:45:36 2005
Location picture taken Space Camp Cafeteria
US Space & Rocket Center
Huntsville, AL
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USSRC Saturn/Apollo Reunions Site Index
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