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Video Game, Cartridge, Atari 2600, Asteroids

National Air and Space Museum

Object Details

Manufacturer
Atari, Inc.
Summary
This cartridge for the Atari 2600 video game console allowed players to compete at Asteroids, one of Atari, Inc.'s best-selling games. Atari, Inc. was incorporated in California in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Asteroids was developed by Atari staff, particularly Lyle Rains and Ed Logg, as a game that allowed players to destroy asteroids and flying saucers with a triangular ship that the player controls. Asteroids was originally released in 1979 and has been re-released on several platforms and gaming systems. As such, this popular video game represents one of the ways that the public has come to understand (or misunderstand) the astronomical phenomena of asteroids through popular culture.
Samantha Thompson donated the game cartridge to the Smithsonian in 2020.
Credit Line
Gift of Samantha M. Thompson
1981
Inventory Number
A20220145000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture
Materials
Plastic
Ink
Adhesive
Dimensions
3-D (Game Cartridge): 9.8 × 8.3 × 1.9cm (3 7/8 × 3 1/4 × 3/4 in.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
National Air and Space Museum
Record ID
nasm_A20220145000
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9dce42ad6-90c7-4232-b322-33e082c7ca98
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

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