I think it is a stretch to call the Telebit telemetry system used on Explorer VI and early Pioneer satellites a computer, but it is awfully close. I have some of the modules seen in the pictures on this post. The thing that is most interesting to me is the "Transistor Memory" used to temporarily store data so the digitized data can be sent in bursts once the satellite has its solar batteries powered for the transmitter. I've included some of the documentation for how it works in the photos. What I am trying to figure out is which modules are responsible for data storage. Transistor memory according to the Computer History Museum was first provided to the USAF by Texas Instruments in 1961. These modules would be from 1959. I suspect the module with the blue cylinder marked 1-6 on the top stored half of a "word" and 2 modules formed what they considered a word (10 bits and 2 bits for information). I don't have any way to verify which modules were used for logic and which were used to store the data. The DTU on the pictures stands for Digital Telemetry Unit which was the telebit. The text excerpt below are taken from "An Interplanetary Communication System" by Mueller and Tabor. I have cross posted similar info on the NASA Space Flight forum as well.
