[boatbums]

We watched Apollo 13 recently and I noticed a lot of cigarette smoking IN THE CONTROL CENTER. With all the critical computer terminals dealing in life or death matters, were they REALLY allowed to smoke in there? I noticed that in the movie War Games, too. I worked in the computer room of a data center in the late '70s and early '80s and NO ONE could smoke in there.

[Erasmus]

With all the critical computer terminals dealing in life or death matters, were they REALLY allowed to smoke in there?

SAGE (Semi Automatic Ground Equipment) was the first computerized continent-wide air defense system, designed and first operated in the late 1950s.

On the operator's console, there's an ashtray at the rear left of the desk surface.

Go the the Wiki on the SAGE computer system to see it. (I tried linking to the image as I have always done, but today it comes up on my preview as a red X, so no embedded image in this post. Sorry.)

[Eaker]

Back in the 60’s and 70’s we smoked everywhere.

Back in those days people weren’t pussies like today.

[Calvin Locke]

...computer room of a data center in the late '70s and early '80s
and NO ONE could smoke in there.

The technology of the time (Apollo) was more forgiving.

When Winchester drive technology was introduced, I was told that smoke particles could induce head crashes. The gap between the head and the platter was that close. No more smoking in the machine room.