Title
SAGE: Magnetic Drum Unit
Catalog Number
X261.83
Type
Physical object
Description
Alternative label copy: SAGE console, 1958 This console was the user interface to the SAGE (Semi- Automatic Ground Environment) computer system known as the "FSQ-7." Begun in 1952 (and operational six years later), SAGE became the first U.S. continental air defense system, linking dozens of radar stations, weather bureaus, airports, and air force command centers together into a real-time early warning system. It comprised redundant CPUs, modems, "light gun" input, and earned its IBM, its prime contractor, over $1 billion in revenues over the life of the system. Despite it's complement of more than 50,000 vacuum tubes, the FSQ-7 was highly reliable (> 99.97% uptime).
Date
1958
Manufacturer
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Place Manufactured
U.S.
Dimensions
overall: 122 1/2 in x 31 1/2 in x 88 in
Category
Memory/drum
Credit
Gift of the National Museum of Science and Technology
