This cartridge for the Atari 2600 video game console allowed players to compete at Asteroids, one of Atari, Inc.'s best-selling games. Atari, Inc. was incorporated in California in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Asteroids was developed by Atari staff, particularly Lyle Rains and Ed Logg, as a game that allowed players to destroy asteroids and flying saucers with a triangular ship that the player controls. Asteroids was originally released in 1979 and has been re-released on several platforms and gaming systems. As such, this popular video game represents one of the ways that the public has come to understand (or misunderstand) the astronomical phenomena of asteroids through popular culture.
Samantha Thompson donated the game cartridge to the Smithsonian in 2020.
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
Date
1981
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture
Manufacturer
Atari, Inc.
Dimensions
3-D (Game Cartridge): 9.8 × 8.3 × 1.9cm (3 7/8 × 3 1/4 × 3/4 in.)
Materials
Plastic
Ink
Adhesive
Inventory Number
A20220145000
Credit Line
Gift of Samantha M. Thompson
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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