NCAR accepted the first production model of the CRAY-1A supercomputer in 1977. The supercomputer weighed 5-1/2 tons and arrived in two refrigerated electronic vans. More than 30 construction workers, engineers, and helpers were needed to move it into the computer room. The CRAY-1A was particularly adapted to the needs of the scientific community, permitting advances in modeling climate and severe storms. It was decommissioned in 1989 after 12 years of service.
