Space Shuttle Display Electronics Unit (DEU) Computer Prototype, measuring 10″ x 7.75″ x 20″, with a worn IBM/Rockwell label on the side: "CII MC615-0008-000…Contract No. NAS9-14000, Model Type: Prototype, Part No. 6245000-4," with significant wear to the label, and the serial number obliterated. The sides are marked "Eng. Test Only," and a counter on the front indicates a runtime of 8939 hours. The unit retains 16 cards inside, plus the wiring harnesses for the several ports on the front. A large circular port on the back would connect to air ducts for cooling.
The Space Shuttle featured the most high-tech displays ever deployed on a spacecraft—CRT monitors were used as the primary display medium, controlled by a special-purpose computer with a 16-bit word size and 8K of memory. The computer provided display control and could create circles, lines, intensity changes (highlighting), and flashing messages. As an engineering test prototype of the computer that served as the 'graphics card' for the Space Shuttle's impressive displays, this is a historic piece of both Space Shuttle and computing technology.
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