Amazing early Air Defense control computer from the Cold War

[constructivist6]

see 2:28 for the built-in ashtray!

[swizzletik]

I was a Weapon Controller at the 21st NORAD Region at Hancock Field, NY. Interesting to see that the equipment I used is all now in museums! As others have remarked, the SAGE display to the controller has no radar "sweep". It is a digital presentation of raw radar data that the SAGE computer processes. The screen would update every 15 or so seconds (annoyingly slow!), and "blink" to let you know when it did. The "light gun" used by the controllers to input commands was temperamental a lot.

[badbobbyhughes]

gotta love SAGE, you can't get more transistorpunk than this

[sayrith]

In the museum, can they activate these computers? I dont see why not, except the problem of some moving parts.

[teedot]

SO cool!

[DodgeMan360]

amazing how fast we're advancing, this was only a few decades ago!

[swizzletik]

@DodgeMan360 The technology shown here dates from the late 1950s - early 60s. It was pretty sophisticated for its time.

[DodgeMan360]

@swizzletik Yeah for sure, certainly a leap in technology

[anderson1245]

I was stationed at the SAGE control center at Malmstrom AFB Mt, 28th Air Div. from 65-68 as a Air Surveillance Tech. I spent many hours in the Blue Room on these scopes. We were the only AD that was Co-Lo with FAA.

[TilTuli]

@anderson1245 Thanks

See also an interesting video clip at tiltuli site of the North America Air Defense - NORAD Radar stations deployment in Canada. AeroSpaceDefence.ca North Bay-1

it shows a map of the Pine Tree Line, Mid Canada Line, Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) radar stations. from the Canadian Forces Museum of Aerospace Defence (CFMAD) at North Bay, Ontario Canada..

[xeviousg]

can it run crysis? lol

[babakpardes]

Like

[websuspect]

Holy shit thats the most advanced pre 1970s computer I EVER SEEN.

[TilTuli]

@random8547

Thanks. You can watch other videos from the Computer History Museum (Mountain View CA) tour by clicking on the link at the upper left corner of the video where it says [MORE ->]

Enjoy...

[frosty9595]

The scary thing is that the average kids ps3 can do what these computers did but thousands of times faster

[stingray300m]

flipswitch technology at its best

[aarperry]

It looks like I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E.

[halfprep455]

That entire mainframe prob has less then 1/1000 of the computing power of a new cellphone or ipod

[applesweeter]

This is a computer in the late 50s. (I guess)

[douro20]

There were actually some SAGE computers in use as late as 1991.

[Dangoxs]

wut? no wai!

[douro20]

@Dangoxs

Have you ever read into the history of SAGE?

[Dangoxs]

@douro20 1st get a sense of humor

2nd i'm not that of a dork

[Gary190tube]

@douro20 1991???? What, in the US? If that's true then I'm amazed!!!

[douro20]

@Gary190tube

It was kept operational at a limited capacity until a new facility was constructed.

[cobrachoppergirl]

when he got to the cigarette lighter, i was about to say, its not smooth retro vintage unless it has a rotary dial phone on it, and the camera panned over to the rotary dial phone. LOL. The PDP should of had a rotary dial for entering digits, would of been a faster way to enter data than flipping binary switches. Lot of girls back in those days were fast at dialing those

[cobrachoppergirl]

we felt a lot safe back then knowing military brats were playing spacewar inside a rock mountain. probably couldn't have, in real operation, have shot down a pidgeon.

[csula74]

The interceptor's radar information was not shown on the SAGE radar. However, the SAGE info regarding target, interceptor, and map location was generated on a display in the cockpit if the F-106.

[vanadiumV]

this old man is masrterpiece too like this machines hhhhhhhhhhhhhh:))

[daleearnhardt1]

lol cigarette lighter

[csula74]

I was stationed at the SAGE control center in Duluth, Minnesota, the 23rd Air Division, in the 1970's as a Weapons DIrector. The host did not mention that the interceptor pilot could slave his autopilot to follow the commands sent by the SAGE computer. That meant that the controller at the radar scope was actually controlling the interceptor's speed, heading, and altitude while the pilot operated the aircraft's radar and weapons system. This silent means of control was called data link.

[TilTuli]

csula74

Thank you for your valuable comment.

Did the SAGE also integrated the information from the Interceptor's Radar into it's computer database and display?

[csula74]

My response is three comments below this.

[masteralexstocks]

@TilTuli

Hi, I was SAGE Weapons controller, Air Surveillance Officer, and RICMO for 10 years. In answer to your question, no, the SAGE system did not receive information from the fighter. Data Link was uplink only to the F-106 interceptor. In addition there are a couple of errors in the presentiation. There was not a sweep going around on the scope face. The picture updated in flashes every 15.7 seconds under normal operation.

[TilTuli]

@masteralexstocks Thanks for your answer.

I assume that the main Up-link design requirement was to enable the SAGE Weapons controllers on the ground to either enable or disable the activation of the Nuclear based weapons such as the Genie and Falcon from the F-106 and the Canadian CF-101 interceptors.

[Ecthaelyon]

@csula74 That would have been the F-106 Delta Dart aircraft right? I recall they did a lot of the Data Link pioneer work with those fighters.

[mnlwrnr]

this was the first computer with Graphical User Interface

[Vyggy]

not really. it had graphics, but not a real GUI.

[douro20]

Nope, the MIT Whirlwind computer designed for early computerized air-traffic control actually had a lightgun interface before SAGE.

[bcyaden]

Good video and pretty good comentary. My first assignment as an AF 2nd Lt was at 26th Air Division SAGE in Oregon as an Intercept Director (Scope Dope). A minor error by the narrator was "watching a line go around the screen" SAGE Scopes did NOT have a sweep (line). The screen "blinked" since it was computer data from MANY radar sites. The light gun was cranky and many time we beat it on the desk so it would work, HA! BCY Lt Col retired

[MouseFX]

good to know

[Kourtakias]

thanks for the video! Wow! no reliable mass storage at that time! 14 hours shifts...

[magicianspirit]

Very interesting and well-done. Nice to have some knowledgeable narration on this kind of video.

[Mahikan26]

terre = earth ...ter is not even a french word i am french canadian i know what im talking about

[Telekenesis123]

That guy really knows his stuff : )

[Renatodonadio]

In French "Computer" is called "Ordinateur" and "Terre" is misspelled

[iugrehc]

computer air ter air+mer