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The Alarms During Apollo 11's Landing
On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were descending towards the Moon in Eagle. Michael Collins was orbiting above them in Columbia.
Not until Eagle was partway through its powered descent did the first 1202 program alarm appear. The astronauts did not recognise the unfamiliar code, so they asked Houston for help.
Not only did the computer display 1202, but it later displayed 1201 as well. Both codes indicated that the computer had too many tasks to process. Hardly had the crew heard one warning before another appeared.
The computer was designed to restart important work after an overload. It kept the essential guidance programs running and left lower-priority work aside. Only then did mission control approve the continued descent.
A second problem was visible through Eagle's windows. Armstrong saw that the computer's intended landing point lay in a boulder field beside a large crater.