JFM to the rescue

I started working in NASA’s mission control back in the days that dinosaurs roamed the earth and all computers were mainframes. There was a quintet of IBM 370/65’s on the first floor of the MCC and we flight controllers weren’t allowed to touch them. They drove small black and white data display screens which could only be changed by the high priesthood of computer programmers. If we wanted to change a display, we had to carefully hand code sheets with the mathematical descriptions of what parameters we wanted to see and where. These sheets were converted to punch cards (!?!) and entered into the machine by special personnel. Mere mortals were not allowed in the processing. In a couple of months, a software drop would include your display change, and a special time would be set up to check out the new displays. Invariably there were errors and correction requirement sheets would be submitted, and then in another couple of months you might get the update.
It all seems so archaic now. But that was the heritage of the Apollo era MCC when I started to work in the late 1970’s.
During STS-1, as we hand transcribed data from ...