A piece of space and computing history is currently under the hammer in the US: Auction house RR Auction is auctioning a rare IBM computer that has been used in a total of 20 NASA space shuttle missions.
The multifunction computer consists of two units installed in appropriately protected boxes to protect against the increased radiation in the room: the CPU type AP-101, which could execute 480,000 instructions per second, and a custom input/output processor.
The general purpose computer was the shuttle’s primary data processing computer and was responsible for controlling and monitoring its functions, essentially the “brain” of the spacecraft. According to RR Auction, each space shuttle had a total of five of these computers on board: Four of them worked synchronously to ensure redundancy, and backup software ran independently on the fifth.
On 20 space shuttle missions in space
According to the auction house, the units flew into space on a total of twenty Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis missions between 1981 and 1991 before an extensive computer upgrade in 1991 combined the two boxes into one unit and made the two-piece general purpose computer obsolete.
Both components, which the auction house estimates are worth more than $50,000, have large circular vents in the rear that connect to air ducts for cooling. A “Flown Hardware” label on the CPU indicates that it was removed from Columbia in October 1991 after Flight STS-40. An analog counter also displays the number of running hours: 4104.
The auction will run until April 21. About $10,000 was offered on Friday morning.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
