Magnetic tape

The magnetic tapes were stored in Maryland for years following the Lunar Orbiter missions of 1966 and 1967, and then moved to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory later.

Nearly forgotten, the tapes were watched over by JPL employee Nancy Evans, who years later tracked down the rare Ampex FR-900 tape drives needed to read the magnetic tapes. Her attempt at restoration in the late 1980s was sidelined by technical difficulties in maintaining and operating the outdated hardware.