Blast from the past: Floppy disks found in space (PHOTO)
It appears the International Space Station – what some may deem the pinnacle of modern technology – is also home to some of the most outdated computer equipment from Earth.
Alexander Gerst, a European Space Agency astronaut and current ISS resident, was clearing out a locker that apparently hasn’t been opened for decades, when he found that it was some kind of accidental technological time capsule.
Gerst shared a photo of his nostalgic discovery of a folder filled with old-school floppy disks on Tuesday. (For those too young to remember, floppy disks were used for computer storage before CDs and eventually USB sticks were invented.)
I found a locker on the @Space_Station that probably hasn't been opened for a while... / Ich habe hier auf der #ISS ein Fach gefunden, das vermutlich schon seit einer Weile nicht mehr geöffnet wurde... #SpaceStation20thpic.twitter.com/XOc3FS8tMm
— Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) November 20, 2018
READ MORE: Alien bacteria & a drowning Italian: 5 craziest things from first 20 years on the ISS
The outmoded storage devices are labeled as containing Utilities for Windows 95/98, as well as ‘Crew Personal Support Data Disk’ for NASA astronaut William Shepherd and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who were both part of the Expedition 1 crew in 2000.
The ISS just celebrated its 20th birthday in orbit and continues to be a home for human space exploration (it’s now larger than a six-bedroom house and has hosted more than 230 individuals from 18 countries), not to mention the groundbreaking scientific discoveries that have been conducted on board.
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