Re: [oc] OT: 4004 and Pioneer spacecrafts

[Ali Mashtizadeh <ali@alikat.org>]

Pablo Bleyer Kocik wrote:
> 
>   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.
> """
That's sad. It would have been pretty nice to get the code and so forth. 
(just for fun) if they had used it.

Ali



> 
>   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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