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Image research: CDC Cyber 205 / ETA-10 operational NWP era (1981-1990)

Compiled 2026-05-15. All candidates below were verified by fetching the Wikimedia Commons / Library of Congress file description page and reading the license tag. Licenses are exact; URLs point to upload.wikimedia.org or stable LoC paths.

The single biggest gap: no freely-licensed photograph of a CDC Cyber 205 cabinet has been found on Wikimedia Commons, the NOAA Photo Library, NHHC, DVIDS, the LoC, NASA, or DOE OSTI. The CHM holds a Cyber 205 reference manual (catalog 102642915) but no photo on the public record page. The Met Office Library at Bracknell has a Cyber 205 slide (1981) under Crown Copyright / Open Government Licence – legally reusable, but the institution does not expose a direct image URL. The University of Calgary Archives has an item titled “Cyber 205” but its description page returned 403. Science Museum Group has a “divide panel from CDC Cyber 205” object record with images licensed CC-BY 4.0 – a hardware fragment, not the machine.

The post will therefore have to lean on the predecessor (STAR-100), the successor (ETA-10), the direct competitor (Cray X-MP), architect / Seymour Cray portraits, and operational-site exteriors rather than a hero shot of the Cyber 205 itself.

STRONG candidates – verified, recommended

1. CDC STAR-100 (the predecessor) – the only freely-licensed image of any STAR-family machine

  • Description: 3D rendering showing both the 8 MB and 4 MB STAR-100 configurations side by side, with a human figure for scale. Built from CDC technical documentation by Wikimedia user FlyAkwa.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/CDC_STAR-100_-_8MB_and_4MB_versions.png
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CDC_STAR-100_-_8MB_and_4MB_versions.png
  • License: CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Author / date: FlyAkwa, 2018-07-04
  • Use for: the “ancestry” section establishing the Cyber 205 as the STAR-100’s commercial successor. It is the only image of a STAR-family machine the post can legally show. Caveat: it is a rendering, not a period photograph – caption should say so.

2. ETA-10 with CPU in liquid nitrogen tank – the iconic cryogenic shot

  • Description: ETA Systems ETA10 supercomputer (1987-1989) with the CPU mounted in its liquid nitrogen bath, on display at the Computer History Museum.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/ETA_Systems_ETA10supercomputer%281987-1989%29where_CPU_is_mounted_in_a_liquid_nitrogen_tank_for_liquid_cooling%28End_of_an_ERA%29_-_Computer_History_Museum%2C_2010-01-21_15.43.38_by_Jitze_Couperus.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ETA_Systems_ETA10supercomputer(1987-1989)where_CPU_is_mounted_in_a_liquid_nitrogen_tank_for_liquid_cooling(End_of_an_ERA)_-_Computer_History_Museum,_2010-01-21_15.43.38_by_Jitze_Couperus.jpg
  • License: CC BY 2.0 (Generic)
  • Author / date: Jitze Couperus, 2010-01-21, taken at Computer History Museum, Mountain View
  • Use for: the ETA Systems section. This is the signature image for the GaAs/CMOS hybrid + LN2 architecture story. Attribution required: “Photo: Jitze Couperus, CC BY 2.0”.

3. ETA10 cabinet with logo visible – the “machine portrait” that the Cyber 205 lacks

  • Description: Frontal view of the ETA10 cabinet with the ETA Systems logo prominent. Tokyo Institute of Technology Museum.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/ETA10_logo_and_body.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ETA10_logo_and_body.jpg
  • License: CC BY 4.0
  • Author / date: Fumihiro Kato, 2016-03-21
  • Use for: the “after the spinoff” section, or as the lead image of the ETA-10 portion. 3,456 x 5,184 px – very high resolution.

4. ETA10 body / cabinet

  • Description: Side / full cabinet view of the ETA10 at the Tokyo Tech museum.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/ETA10_body.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ETA10_body.jpg
  • License: CC BY 4.0
  • Author / date: Fumihiro Kato, 2016-03-21
  • Use for: alternative to candidate 3 if you want a less branding-heavy framing.

5. ETA10 processor unit (board-level detail)

  • Description: Close-up of an ETA10 processor unit, Tokyo Tech museum.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Processor_unit_of_ETA10.jpg (note: hash directory is 8/8e/ derived from filename; verify by clicking file page)
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Processor_unit_of_ETA10.jpg
  • License: CC BY 4.0
  • Author / date: Fumihiro Kato, 2016-03-21
  • Use for: technical-detail aside on the GaAs/CMOS hybrid CPU. Verify the upload URL via the file page link before embedding – the file-page link is the authoritative one.

6. ETA10 memory unit

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Memory_unit_of_ETA10.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Memory_unit_of_ETA10.jpg
  • License: CC BY 4.0
  • Author / date: Fumihiro Kato, 2016-03-21
  • Use for: optional board-level deep-dive image.

7. Seymour Cray portrait – NSA-sourced PD photo

  • Description: Formal head-and-shoulders portrait of Seymour Cray. NSA “historical figures” gallery, declared “not classified” / public domain.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Seymour_R._Cray.JPG
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seymour_R._Cray.JPG
  • License: Public domain (NSA / PD-USGov work, per NSA gallery declaration)
  • Author / date: Unknown photographer; uploaded to Commons 2024-08-17 by user SusanLesch
  • Use for: the “contrast with Cray” rhetorical paragraph. Pairs naturally with a Neil Lincoln description in prose (no Lincoln portrait found, see “gaps” below).

8. Seymour Cray with Cray-1 – environmental portrait

  • Description: Cray peeking out from behind a Cray-1 cabinet. Posted to Flickr by Michael Hicks, reviewed by Commons.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Seymour_Cray.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seymour_Cray.jpg
  • License: CC BY 2.0
  • Author / date: Michael Hicks, 2013-11-03
  • Use for: alternate to candidate 7 if you want a more contextual / less formal Cray.

9. Cray X-MP at the National Cryptologic Museum – direct competitor, CC0

  • Description: Cray X-MP/24 used c. 1983-1993 by the NSA, on display at the National Cryptologic Museum, Fort Meade.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Cray_XMP-24%2C_used_c.1983-1993-National_Cryptologic_Museum-_DSC07916.JPG
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cray_XMP-24,used_c._1983-1993-National_Cryptologic_Museum-_DSC07916.JPG
  • License: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • Author / date: Wikimedia user Daderot, 2013-03-29
  • Use for: the “competitor in the field” section – this is the contemporaneously-deployed X-MP that pulled NCAR, ECMWF, and the JMA away from CDC. CC0 means no attribution legally required (but credit Daderot anyway).

10. Cray X-MP/SSD at NASA – 1989 federal photo

  • Description: NASA’s Cray X-MP with Solid-State Storage Device, Glenn Research Center.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Cray_XMP_SSD_Nasa_1989_10084.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cray_XMP_SSD_Nasa_1989_10084.jpg
  • License: Public domain (PD-USGov, NASA)
  • Author / date: NASA, 1989-09-01
  • Use for: alternate competitor shot, or to make the “X-MP was everywhere on US Federal sites by 1989” point. The 1989 date overlaps the post’s window cleanly.

11. Met Office building, Bracknell – the home of Cyber 205 #1

  • Description: Three-quarter exterior of the London Road Met Office HQ, the building that housed the first-ever Cyber 205 (delivered 1981). Note: shot is from 1999 – the building was demolished c.2007 – but architecturally identical to the 1981-1990 operational period (the Met Office occupied the same site continuously 1961-2003).
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/The_Meteorological_Office%2C_Bracknell_-geograph.org.uk-_489065.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Meteorological_Office,Bracknell-geograph.org.uk-_489065.jpg
  • License: CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Author / date: Anthony Eden, 1999-01-22 (via Geograph project)
  • Use for: the “first customer was the Met Office” section. Caption must acknowledge the 1999 date rather than implying it’s a 1980s photo.

12. Seymour Cray’s 1957 technology prototype – historical context for the rivalry

  • Description: The 1957 prototype board that introduced standardized logic boards, leading to the CDC 6600. Computer History Museum.
  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Cray_technology_prototype_%281957%29.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cray_technology_prototype_(1957).jpg
  • License: CC BY 2.0
  • Author / date: Jitze Couperus, 2010-01-21
  • Use for: optional historical-bookend image if the post opens with a “both companies started at CDC” framing. Skip if too tangential.

SECONDARY / OPTIONAL

13. ETA10 product label

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Product_label_of_ETA10.jpg
  • File page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Product_label_of_ETA10.jpg
  • License: CC BY 4.0, Fumihiro Kato, 2016-03-21
  • Use: decorative detail only. Probably skip.

14. Cray X-MP (smaller NSA file)

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Cray_X-MP.jpg
  • License: Public domain (PD-USGov, sourced from NSA gallery)
  • Author / date: NSA, uploaded 2005-12-13
  • Use: AVOID – 278x281 px, flagged as low quality on Commons. Use candidate 9 or 10 instead.

15. Cray X-MP/EA at Barcelona Supercomputing Center

  • Direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/BSC-CRAY-X-MP-EA-B.JPG
  • License: CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Author / date: uploader’s own work, 2012-04-25
  • Use: alternate to candidate 9; less period-appropriate framing (museum lighting).

AVOID – tempting but problematic

  • Computer History Museum catalog photos (e.g. the Cyber 205 entry at https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102642915). The CHM web pages do not declare a free license on their object photography. Treat all CHM-hosted images as all-rights-reserved unless they have been independently uploaded to Commons under a CC license. The Jitze Couperus shots (candidates 2 and 12) are the safe path – he photographed CHM artifacts on his own and licensed his own photos CC BY.
  • NCAR / UCAR photos of Cray-1A and X-MP at Mesa Lab. NCAR Image Library photos are typically marked “for educational use” or “courtesy NCAR/UCAR” – this is not a free license and is not equivalent to PD-USGov even though NSF-funded. Reject for this blog.
  • Met Office / Google Arts & Culture Cyber 205 slides. The 1981 Bracknell Cyber 205 photographs in the Met Office Library are Crown Copyright under OGL (legally reusable with attribution “Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0”), but the Met Office digital library does not expose a stable direct image URL – only a viewer. Manual re-hosting onto the blog is technically permitted under OGL but breaks the “stable upload.wikimedia.org URL” pattern the post series uses. Recommend skipping unless you contact the Met Office Library for a direct asset URL.
  • Science Museum Group “divide panel from CDC Cyber 205”. CC BY 4.0 image of a single circuit-board panel. Not a useful illustration of the machine; mention in prose if the divide pipeline is discussed, but don’t embed.
  • Library of Congress HAER NE-9-N photographs of the Offutt SAC underground command center / weather center. Public domain (US Government work, “no known restrictions”) – the rights are clean. BUT: the available photos at https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ne0105.photos.198345p/ and the surrounding HAER NE-9-N set show the weather center in 1955-1960 vintage, not the 1980s AFGWC era. They depict the wrong supercomputer generation entirely (vacuum-tube / early transistor consoles, not the CDC Cyber 203/205 that AFGWC ran from 1979). Use only if the post explicitly frames it as “this is what the room looked like in earlier decades; by the 1980s the same building held a Cyber 205.” Direct URL pattern: prefix https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.ne0105.photos/ then ?sp=N. Note: LoC blocks WebFetch – the user will need to retrieve the image manually. Not recommended unless the visual framing is explicit.

Gaps – no free image found, prose-only treatment recommended

  • Neil R. Lincoln portrait. Searched Wikimedia, ETHW, CHM oral histories, Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame (msthalloffame.org has a Lincoln page but its photos are not declared free). No CC / PD portrait exists. Recommend prose-only treatment: describe the vacation-back-of-an-envelope architecture story.
  • CDC Cyber 205 in operation. No PD or CC image found anywhere. The Met Office Bracknell slides under Crown Copyright OGL are the closest legal option but require manual asset retrieval. If acquiring one, the canonical reference record is https://library.metoffice.gov.uk/portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/45167 (“Cyber 205, Computer Laboratory Bracknell, July 1981”, Crown Copyright / OGL).
  • FNOC Monterey facility, AFGWC at Offutt (1980s vintage), FSU meteorology building, NMC World Weather Building (1980s). None found under free licenses. DVIDS results returned no historical 1980s supercomputer photos at FNMOC. The existing repo image of NMC (the Suitland-era shot already in use) remains the only legally clean option for that operational site. Recommend reusing the existing NMC / Suitland imagery from prior posts (it dates to the right institutional context even if not the exact decade) and handling FNOC/AFGWC/FSU in prose.

Summary – recommended 8 to embed

For a balanced post:

  1. STAR-100 rendering (predecessor framing) – candidate 1
  2. ETA-10 liquid nitrogen tank (the post’s hero image) – candidate 2
  3. ETA-10 cabinet with logo (machine portrait) – candidate 3
  4. Seymour Cray portrait (rivalry framing) – candidate 7
  5. Cray X-MP at NSA museum (competitor) – candidate 9 (or 10 if you prefer the 1989 NASA shot)
  6. Met Office Bracknell exterior (first-customer site) – candidate 11
  7. ETA10 processor unit close-up (technical detail) – candidate 5
  8. Reuse existing NMC / Suitland imagery from prior post for the US operational context.

This gives the post one image per major narrative beat – ancestry, hero machine, cabinet, rival architects, competitor, deployment site, technical detail, US operations – without a single fair-use risk and without an actual Cyber 205 photograph, which simply doesn’t exist in the public-domain / CC corpus.