Reverse-engineering the Globus INK, a Soviet spaceflight navigation computer

.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} One of the most interesting navigation instruments onboard Soyuz spacecraft was the Globus INK,1 which used a rotating globe to indicate the spacecraft's position above the Earth. This electromechanical analog computer used an elaborate system of gears, cams, and differentials to compute the spacecraft's position. The globe rotates in two dimensions: it spins end-over-end to indicate the spacecraft's orbit, while the globe's hemispheres rotate according to the Earth'...

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