Columbia University Computing History   

The IBM 360/75

IBM 360/75 control panel
IBM 360/75 System Control Panel; Image: [1]
NASA Houston IBM 360/75
IBM 360/75 NASA Houston Space Flight Center
NASA Goddard IBM 360/75
IBM 360/75 NASA Goddard
Columbia's IBM 360/75 arrived in 1967 as the second installment on the changeover from the 7090-series mainframes. The first installment was a 360/50 and third installment would be the mammoth IBM 360/91 to replace the 360/50. The 91 was then coupled with the 75, reducing the latter to the lowly role of attached support processor. Unfortunately I haven't been able locate any photos of Columbia's 360/75.

The NASA Houston photo shows an enormous 360/75 machine room disppearing into the vanishing point. The NASA Goddard photo gives a closer real-life view of the 360/75 console; the accompanying IBM photo archive text said: "The IBM System/360 Model 75 at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The control room is reflected in the mirror used during tests of the IBM System/360 Model 75, one of four computers that controlled Apollo spacecraft tracking and communications. Goddard's flight network acquired voice and telemetry information as well as radar data through 17 tracking stations and four ships."

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Columbia University Computing History Frank da Cruz / fdc@columbia.edu This page created: January 2001 Revised: 1 April 2021