Need help please

[kdjohns2001]

I'm looking for a short story about what scientists of the late 40's would make of a research probe, sent through a bomb test in the 60's, that somehow went back in time and landed on autopilot. The story focused on everything from the material the probe was made of to the fuel it's ram jet engine used. It was mentioned that a test using fuel remnants nearly burned up the probe as the scientists had no way of knowing how a ram jet engine worked. The story asked the question of how much the scientists could learn from the probe, not much it turned out as too many missing steps were missing between the late 40's technology and the 60's technology. In the end the author asked how many years in the future the scientists would postulate the probe came from and said they would likely say hundreds rather than the mere two decades it actually was from. Any help on story name and author would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[PaulMmn]

There was a similar editorial or Alternate View article in an old issue of ANALOG magazine. Could have been any time between the 1960s and 6 years ago (I'm behind with my reading). The article mentioned one thing they -could- figure out-- composition carbon resistors. Integrated circuits were just so much pure silicon-- they could see the Ps and the Ns! Although they could see the patterns of the traces and realized there was something going on!

--Paul E Musselman

 

[kdjohns2001]

Is there any chance you can recall anything of title or author?
Thank you for the tip about ANALOG though, I will see if I can find a listing of their offerings.

 

[PaulMmn]

could NOT see the Ps and the Ns!