This is the control panel from an RCA 110A computer, similar to those used at Cape Canaveral to manage the countdown and checkout of Saturn rockets from about 1965 through 1975. This panel formed part of a machine that was installed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to develop the launch system at the Cape. These machines used discrete transistors for thie circuits. After its retirement from the space program, the computer was transferred to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where it was kept in operation as a teaching tool well into the 1980's. Two processing units of the RCA 110A and this panel were donated to the Smithsonian by the University's Physics Department in 1988.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
EQUIPMENT-Electronics
Manufacturer
RCA
Dimensions
Other: 7 in. tall x 2 ft. 2 in. long x 1 ft. 3 in. wide (17.8 x 66 x 38.1cm)
Materials
HAZMAT: Cadmium Plating
Steel, Aluminum, Glass, Copper, Plastic, Rubber (Silicone), Paper, Adhesive, Composite, Ceramic plate
Inventory Number
A19900007000
Credit Line
Gift of the Department of Physics, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.