Datatron-205 Computer

The name of this computer, alone, sounds like a #TBT worthy of sharing! This was the Datatron-205 (can't imagine what the previous version looked like) that was detailed to the USGS from NASA Ames Research Center back in 1964. Valued at a mere $287,000, the Datatron was to be used for astrogeological studies. NASA had used it for testing spacecraft, but it was provided to the USGS to refine and detail lunar photos for the astronauts as they approached the Moon so they could better understand the terrain and structure. The Flagstaff Milestone quoted, Wayne Lowry, an electrical engineer for the Burroughs Company (who built the machine), as saying, "A problem that would take four mathematicians one year to do can be solved by this machine in 30 minutes.​" ​​Sorry, Steve Jobs and Woz...you've got nothing on this beauty!​