NASA F‑8 Digital Fly‑By‑Wire Program: From Apollo Computer to Redundant Architecture

After the 1969 Moon landing, NASA began a program to test a digital‑fly‑by‑wire (DFBW) system for aircraft. The core used the Apollo flight‑control computer and inertial‑sensing hardware that had guided Armstrong to the Moon. (Primary source)

The first flight took place on 25 May 1972, piloted by Gary E. Krier. NASA and the Langley Research Center jointly operated the test program, which lasted 13 years and included 210 missions. (Primary source)

During the program, the original Apollo‑based system was replaced by a triple‑redundant digital architecture. This change provided a backup computer in case of failure, demonstrating fault‑tolerant control. (Primary source)

The evolution from a single‑computer Apollo core to a redundant network proved the reliability required for modern aircraft that use digital fly‑by‑wire controls. (Primary source)