I didn't know you had a science background. What did you work in?
Yes, my PhD work was in crossed molecular beam reaction dynamics (Chemical Physics). Basically we crossed two beams of different molecules at 90 degrees and then measured the reaction products mass, speed, and angle. That is what the PDP 8e was for: measuring speed, and therefore product energy, via time of flight. After that my wife (also a PhD chemist) and I got jobs in the same lab studying the combustion chemistry of solid rocket propellants as well as supporting basic research in ramjets and scramjets with laser combustion diagnostics. So we were both rocket scientists, so to speak.
