A 1977 Time Capsule, Voyager 1 runs on 69 KB of memory and an 8-track tape recorder

[usonian]

https://techfixated.com/a-1977-time-capsule-voyager-1-runs-on-69-kb-of-memory-and-an-8-track-tape-recorder-4/



48 years from launch, 15 billion miles away, 38,000 mph.

It is the farthest human-made object in the universe.

It is sending back scientific data that no other instrument in existence can collect.

And it is doing all of this on 69 kilobytes of memory and an 8-track tape recorder.

The phone in your pocket has roughly one million times more memory than the computer running Voyager 1.

Lots more incredible details at the link.

It still has the "golden record" (OK, gold-plated copper)
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-golden-record-overview/

[SWBTATTReg]

1. So that's where I got my 8-trk tape from, that I found in my garage the other day!

Amazing how this tech is changing day by day. My first mainframe that I worked on, was in a six-story building downtown, and now, crap, you can put probably 100 of them in the same building now, each a thousand time more powerful too.

[usonian]

2. It's space-grade. I am sure that your pinch rollers have turned either to dust or to stone.

Only shut off because there was too little power to run it any more.
As I charge up the iPad 1.

[erronis]

3. You can definitely put one of them (a thousand times more powerful) in your pocket.

With a lot of unknown (at the times) capabilities. I guess WiFi, NFC, 5G, etc. wouldn't be of much use 15 billion miles away...

My university computer from that era had 256K words (36 bits), 2-4 processors at

[bobalew]

8. I started out my computer tech career on an

HP 21MX 16 bit word with 256k of dual port RAM that doubled it's execution speed, with an octal numerical input key port on the front panel & a BASIC control store, so it ran Basic on boot up. It used a 50 Mb disk drive the size of a small washing machine, & a 10 MB iso-elastic cartridge tape drive, all tech from 1977-78 this was the era of SSI MSI, & LSI chip integration resulting in the mini computer. Then I went to work for Intel but that is another story...

[erronis]

4. This is an amazing history of Voyager 1 and the incredible expertise that went into

building it (and its partner Voyager 2), controlling and maintaining it. Kudos to science and the teams that have worked on this over the decades!

[lastlib]

5. As cool as these critters are......

I'm most looking forward to the launch of Voyager 6!



- - - -

[usonian]

6. You made me look it up.

First time I've ever seen a space probe without a clean room and bunny suits.

[lastlib]

7. Ha!

[bobalew]

9. oh yeah...

VGer..