View source for Engineering:Sony TC-50

{{Short description|1969 cassette recorder}}
The '''Sony TC-50''' was a compact cassette recorder and portable audio player designed and marketed by [[Company:Sony|Sony]]. It was conceived for the purpose of dictation but gained popularity with the general public after its use during the [[Astronomy:Apollo program|Apollo program]] lunar missions. It was released commercially in 1968.

[[File:Sony TC-50.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Sony TC-50 cassette tape recorder on display at the Houston Space Center|Sony TC-50 cassette tape recorder on display at the Houston Space Center]]
[[Organization:NASA|NASA]] furnished every astronaut with a Sony TC-50 from [[Engineering:Apollo 7|Apollo 7]] in 1968 onward.<ref name=vanityfair_12.14.2018>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/mickey-kapp-apollo-11-astro-mixtapes|title=Music on the Moon: Meet Mickey Kapp, Master of Apollo 11's Astro-Mixtapes|magazine=Vanity Fair|accessdate=August 23, 2019}}</ref> 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 [[Engineering:Mixtape|mixtape]]s in the [[Engineering:Apollo (spacecraft)|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.<ref name=vanityfair_12.09.2018>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/apollo-11-50th-year-anniversary|title=The Found Footage That Provides a Whole New Look at the Apollo 11 Moon Landing|magazine=Vanity Fair|accessdate=August 23, 2019}}</ref> Neil Armstrong, [[Biography:Buzz Aldrin|Buzz Aldrin]], and several other astronauts were provided with cassette recordings by Al Bishop and Hollywood producer Mickey Kapp.<ref name=vanityfair_12.14.2018 />

The TC-50 has variously been described as a "predecessor" or "proto-Walkman" due to its compact design and similarity.<ref name=vanityfair_12.09.2018 /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/sony-the-best-and-worst-gadets-9113012.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/sony-the-best-and-worst-gadets-9113012.html |archive-date=2022-05-24 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The Best And Worst Gadgets From More Than 50 Years Of Consumer Electronics|website=The Independent|accessdate=August 23, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

*[https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/recorder-audio-cassette-apollo-12/nasm_A19740665000 National Air and Space Museum] - Apollo 12 Sony TC-50 held by the Smithsonian
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJXRVyszFbo Sony's proto-Walkman that went to the moon] An examination of the TC-50
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_pQCB5nCNo "Fly Me to the Moon"] [[Biography:Gene Cernan|Gene Cernan]] plays Frank Sinatra as the crew orbits the Moon on [[Engineering:Apollo 10|Apollo 10]]

{{Sony Corp}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sony tc-50}}
[[Category:Portable media players]]

{{Sourceattribution|Sony TC-50}}