Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage conditions may apply

This is the processor unit of the CDC 3800, a computer that was used at the Consolidated Space Test Center in Sunnyvale, California, to operate Air Force satellites from the 1960s through the early 1990s.

The CDC 3800 was a large mainframe computer optimized for handling problems that required a lot of numeric processing. Control Data Corporation of Minneapolis-St. Paul introduced the 3800 in the early 1960s. The 48-bit computer used discrete transistors for logic, had a memory of 128 kilobytes, and had a 48-bit word length. A full system cost about $1.9 million.

 Display Status

This object is on display in James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

James S. McDonnell Space Hangar
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type INSTRUMENTS-Computers, General Purpose Manufacturer Control Data Corporation
 Dimensions 3-D: 208.3 x 61 x 190.5cm (82 x 24 x 75 in.)
 Materials Backplane: many short, thin insulated wires
Circuit cards: epoxy boards with metal connectors
Components: transistors, resistors with approximately 4 transistors per card
Doors: hinged Plexiglas and aluminum
Frame: steel chassis
 Alternate Name CDC 3800 Launch Computer Processor Inventory Number A19930082000 Credit Line Transferred from the U.S. Air Force Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.