From Rockets to the Altair: The Rise and Fall of MITS

MITS: Rockets, Calculators, and Personal Computers

Henry Edward Roberts founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems to fund his dream of owning a plane and attending medical school. After struggling with model rocketry products, the company pivoted to electronics, finding success with the 816 calculator. Facing debt and a shifting market, Roberts took a massive gamble on the Altair 8800 microcomputer, a bold move that would define the personal computing era.

"Still, it was try or allow the company to go bankrupt since calculators were no longer profitable."