> "This proves electronics built around 50 years ago, 12 years before Voyager 1, and far before microprocessors and integrated circuits are still capable of working in the hostile environs of space."

I think in some aspect, it might be even more so (robust), than today's technology: Simpler, more to-the-point technology, leading to greater robustness.

I think today's tech and IT industry has something to learn there, and I'm really happy about the "back to basics" trend in IT, going back to compiled, to-the-point languages like Go, closer-to-the hardware cloud systems etc.

Someone

I think the main lesson would be that making your transistors and switching currents enormously large is good for longevity in space, but that's nothing new.

samuell

Well, I was also thinking about (but didn't write) that most mission-critical systems aren't written in javascript :) ... but rather something "ancient" like ada or pascal.

dom0

I kinda doubt that any satellite from this era ran a high level language.

kuschku

Why? The first high level languages were already existing in 1942, so it’s not that far fetched.

EDIT: As I can’t answer to comments due to the retarded "you are submitting too fast" rule, here is a source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plankalk%C3%BCl

pjc50

.. on room-sized computers. VLSI hadn't been achieved yet, so Apollo flew with a suitcase-sized computer made from discrete gates and core memory programmed in assembler by Margaret Hamilton and others. https://github.com/chrislgarry/Apollo-11

I doubt the satellite bothered with a processor.