TDD on Punch Cards: Mercury Space Program

The title of this post was the subject of an email I sent to the great Jerry (Gerald) Weinberg before he had passed away in 2018.

If you’re not familiar with Jerry, here’s a snippet from his own blog. He was an important figure in our profession:

Early in my career, I was the architect for the Project Mercury’s space tracking network and designer of the world’s first multiprogrammed operating system.

I won the Warnier Prize, the Stevens Award, and the first Software Testing Professionals’ Luminary Award, all for my writing on software quality. I was also elected a charter member of the Computing Hall of Fame in San Diego and chosen for the University of Nebraska Hall of Fame

He went on to write many useful books, which we still use today to learn a great deal from. One that immediately comes to mind that a lot of colleagues have recommended is The Secrets of Consulting. Much wisdom has been gained by reading this book I’ve been told. I plan on reading it as well.

Mercury Program

from historicspacecraft.com: