Sony TC-50
The Sony TC-50 was a compact
NASA furnished every astronaut with a Sony TC-50 from Apollo 7 in 1968 onward.[1] Procured to facilitate the recording of personal mission logs, negating the need for additional paper work, the TC-50 was also used by astronauts to play their favorite mixtapes in the Apollo spacecraft. "Rather than blast off with only blank cassettes, the astronauts took tapes that had been pre-filled with music befitting their tastes" and recorded over them as the mission advanced forward.[2] Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and several other astronauts were provided with cassette recordings by Al Bishop and Hollywood producer Mickey Kapp.[1]
The TC-50 has variously been described as a "predecessor" or "proto-Walkman" due to its compact design and similarity.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b "Music on the Moon: Meet Mickey Kapp, Master of Apollo 11's Astro-Mixtapes". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Found Footage That Provides a Whole New Look at the Apollo 11 Moon Landing". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "The Best And Worst Gadgets From More Than 50 Years Of Consumer Electronics". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
External links
- National Air and Space Museum - Apollo 12 Sony TC-50 held by the Smithsonian
- Sony's proto-Walkman that went to the moon An examination of the TC-50
- "Fly Me to the Moon" Gene Cernan plays Frank Sinatra as the crew orbits the Moon on Apollo 10