[oc] OT: 4004 and Pioneer spacecrafts

[Pablo Bleyer Kocik <pbleyer@embedded.cl>]

  Hello.

  I would like to share the following interesting information with you:

  Ali's inquiry about the Intel 4004 micro reminded me of a pending 
interest of mine: attempting to get from NASA some code and schematics of 
the control systems of the latter Pioneer missions which supposedly used 
the Intel 4004 microprocessor. It is a "popular fact" --among techies like 
us ;^)-- that this spacecrafts carried Intel 4004 micros, so that made the 
4004 the first microprocessor to travel a distance from Earth farther than 
Pluto. For that purpose I contacted Dr. Larry Lasher of the AMES Research 
Center who is currently in charge of the Pioneer missions (BTW, Pioneer 10 
is alive & kicking and it just had its 30th anniversary last March). Along 
with his kind reply, he told me the following:

"""
Incidentally, the Intel 4004 microprocessor was not used in any of the 
Pioneer space craft.  Any mention made by Intel to that effect were 
incorrect per Steve Short Intel Press Relations.
"""

  Yesterday I contacted Mr. Steve Short and he was able to confirm this to me:

"""
Sir, Thank you for your response.  I was actually able to talk with Dr.
Lasher and some of his colleagues and they all confirmed your findings as
well.  Even though they were simultaneously playing with code and program
testing on the 4004, it was too new at the time to include in any of the
Pioneer projects. I truly appreciate your persistence in this matter.
"""

  Well, there seems to go another popular science myth. I should diminish 
my disappointment trying to find more about the real internals of the 
Pioneer ships ;^)

  You can know more about the Pioneer missions at the following URLs:

http://spaceprojects.arc.nasa.gov/Space_Projects/pioneer/PNhome.html
http://history.nasa.gov/SP-349/sp349.htm

  Cheers!
--
PabloBleyerKocik/
  pbleyer       /"Rintrah roars & shakes his fires in the burdend air;
   @embedded.cl/ Hungry clouds swag on the deep" — William Blake

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