Scarce report from the MIT Charles Stark Draper Laboratory entitled "R-659, A Fault-Tolerant Information Processing System for Advanced Control, Guidance, and Navigation, May 1970" bound in its original blue "Apollo Guidance, Navigation and Control" softcover wrappers, 8.5″ x 11″ x .5″, marked "R-659 Multi Microprocesser - Silver" on the spine. The report describes "continued development of a spaceborne multi-processor concept," discussing "system concepts, multiprocessor structure, local processor complexes, applications to a reaction control system, data bus design, and packaging concepts." It presents a fascinating, detailed discussion of processor and computer system architecture as it pertains to spaceflight, during a period of exponential growth in processing power with the advent and popularization of the integrated circuit. In fine condition. In addition to its interest as an early space-computer report, this represents an early instance of the "Charles Stark Draper Laboratory" nomenclature—MIT's famous Instrumentation Laboratory had just been renamed for its founder in January 1970.
