Apollo moon landing math is why your flight lands on time
The hard problems facing NASA scientists forced new mathematical solutions. Stanley Schmidt came up with a whole new way to track non-linear trajectory for the Apollo missions.
Via CNN:
The same math, known as the Schmidt-Kalman filter, is used today to help improve the efficient of air traffic control.
NASA works with the Federal Aviation Administration to research the best ways of managing takeoff, cruising and landing of aircraft around the country.
For example, the Schmidt-Kalman filter can help determine the closest estimate of a plane’s position by combining the expected flight path of the aircraft with real-time measurements, the agency said. The filter essentially eliminates any other data that isn’t needed.