The Cameras of Apollo
This page is
not meant to be all inclusive or in any way complete or extremely detailed.
For more information on these cameras,
please refer to the links section at the bottom of the page.
For the purpose of this web page,
I will exclude the cameras carried in the Command Module and in the J-Series
Service Module's Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) bay and focus primarily
on the still and video cameras used on the lunar surface.
Note: As is the case with a large part of My Little Space
Museum, much of the information and images on this page were obtained from
the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal,
and Kipp Teague's incredible Project
Apollo Image Archive.
Still Cameras:
Hasselblad 70mm EDC
Maurer 16mm Data Acquisition Camera
Video Cameras:
Apollo 11: Westinghouse Apollo Lunar
Television Camera
Apollos 12-14: Westinghouse
Lunar Color Camera
Apollo 15-17: RCA J-Series GCTA
Miscellaneous:
Apollo Lunar
Surface Close-up Camera
Apollo 14: Lunar Geological
Exploration Camera (Not Flown)
Apollo 16: Far
Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph (FUVC)
Related Links
The
Hasselblad 70mm EDC
By far the most famous of all Apollo
cameras, and perhaps the most important as well, was the Hasselblad EDC,
which was adapted from a camera of the same company, designated the Hasselblad
500 EL. Nicknamed "Hassies", these 70mm cameras were used by the
astronauts on the lunar surface for still photography, and, as such, took
almost all of the photographic images brought back from the lunar surface.
Because these camera systems had
no viewfinder, and were worn on the chest during lunar EVAs, a lot of practice
was needed to master their use. To that end, the astronauts were
issued cameras to take home and practice with.
Left: The "civilian" version of
the Hasselblad camera used on the moon, the 500 EL.
The square black object under the
lens is the shutter release button.
Right: The lunar version of the
camera, without the handle and RCU mount.
My own photos of the Hassie,
taken at the Neil Armstrong Museum in Ohio.
Note the handle that has been attached
for lunar use, and the trigger mechanism.
NASA diagrams. The one on the right shows several
features
that were used only onboard the Command Module.
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500mm lens
body, used to
take photos
of geological
interest |
A nice shot showing
the 500mm configuration.
Also note the camera
mount at the back,
used to carry it
on the chest
pack (RCU) |
Astronaut practicing
sighting the 500mm |
Apollo 15 astronaut
David Scott, showing
how the camera was
mounted to the RCU.
You can also see the
sample bag holder
clipped to the side
of the camera. |
RCU diagram,
clearly showing the
camera mount |
Film magazine & camera
top decals
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The Maurer
16mm Data Acquisition Camera
The 16mm Maurer Data Acquisition Camera (usually called
"the DAC", pronounced simply "dak") is best known for the movies it was
used to take through the Lunar Module Pilot's (LMP's) window during the
approach and landing of the LM. Also, all of the movie footage taken
on the lunar surface (not to be confused with the video downlink) was done
with the DAC. On Apollo 11, it was also used to take stop motion
photography out the LMP's window of almost the entire EVA at the setting
of 1 frame per second (fps). On 12, it was mounted on the Lunar Hand
Tool Carrier, on 14 it was mounted on the MET, and on the J-Series missions
it was mounted on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). On 2 of the J-Series
missions, 15 & 16, it was primarily used to document the geology along
the LRV route, set at 1 fps.
A slightly different version of this system was used
on board the CSM to take movies of such things as docking operations, etc.
Simple diagram showing main elements of the system.
Beauty shot of the DAC from a training photo.
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Charlie Duke at the
LRV trainer, showing
how the DAC was
mounted on the LRV |
Intra & extravehicular
versions of the system |
DAC mounted on
Apollo 14 MET near
the lip of Cone Crater.
Also note the ALSCC
and Hassie mags
mounted on the MET |
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Westinghouse
Apollo Lunar Television Camera
Used on the lunar surface on Apollo
11 only.
Brought as backup camera on Apollo's
13 & 14
Few people who lived during the
time of Apollo will ever forget where they were when they watched Neil
A. Armstrong make his "One small step" into the history books on July 20,
1969. The fuzzy, gray images beamed back from the lunar surface
for 2 hours that night allowed all of us to share in the wonder of that
historic event.
The machine that was used to do
this was named simply the Apollo Lunar Televsion Camera. Built by
Westinghouse, it was a simple system which measured 11" x 6" x 3", weighed
7.25 pounds, and used 6.25 watts of power. It was capable of operating
at 10 or 0.65 frames per second, depending on light level, and it had 4
interchangeable lenses.
The camera was mounted inside the
Modularized
Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) in Quad 4 of the Lunar Module (LM)
Descent Stage. This gave the capability of broadcasting the first
steps of the astronauts as they climbed down the ladder of the LM at the
start of the first EVA. The astronauts would then
detach the camera from it's mount
in the MESA, mount the camera on a tripod, and
carry it away from the LM to show the progress of the EVA.
My own photo of the camera, taken
at the Neil Armstrong Museum in Ohio.
Above - photos of the camera on earth.
Right photo is of the electrical cable that connected
the camera to the LM.
Two simple diagrams. The one on the left has
dimensions.
Nice photo of the camera deployed on the lunar surface
at Tranquility Base, where it still stands today.
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Westinghouse
Lunar Color Camera
Used on Apollo's 12 & 14
The camera was mounted inside the
Modularized
Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) in Quad 4 of the Lunar Module (LM)
Descent Stage. This gave the capability of broadcasting the first
steps of the astronauts as they climbed down the ladder of the LM at the
start of the first EVA.
The astronauts would then detach
the camera from it's mount in the MESA, mount the camera on a tripod,
and carry it away from the LM to
show the progress of the EVA.
This system was the same TV camera used on previous missions
inside the CSM, with a few minor modifications to adapt it to the lunar
environment. It was called the Field
Sequential Camera by Westinghouse.
Unfortunately, during the early moments of the first
Apollo 12 EVA, which marked the camera's debut on the moon, astronaut Alan
Bean inadvertantly pointed the camera at the unfiltered sun while preparing
to mount it on the tripod. This action caused an overload in the
secondary vidicon tube, rendering the camera useless for the remainder
of the mission. It worked reasonably well on Apollo 14, although
there were a few problems encountered with the image brightness and contrast.
Beautiful Westinghouse diagram of the color camera system
Left & Center: These are about the only decent
color photos I've been able to find of this camera pre-flight
Right - Apollo 12 camera at the Ocean of Storms after
it's fatal malfuntion
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RCA J-Series
Ground-Commanded Television Assembly
(GCTA)
Used on Apollo's 15, 16, &
17
Above: A fabulous set of photos
of the GCTA on display at The David
Sarnoff Library,
graciously donated by Mr. Frank
O'Brien
An MLSM Exclusive
Note last photo shows where Apollo
15 crew signed this museum piece.
Thank You, Frank!
Refer to photos
and diagrams below for detail descriptions
This advanced system flew aboard
the J-Series lunar missions on Apollos 15, 16, & 17. It gave
unprecedented quality in the color video transmitted from the moon.
But, alas, few people watched as America had by this time lost interest
in watching men on the moon.
The system consisted of two major
components: the Color Televsion Camera (CTV), and the Television Control
Unit (TCU). This system was connected directly to the Lunar Communications
Relay Unit (LCRU) when mounted on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), and the
TV signal was sent from the LCRU to earth via the High Gain Antenna (HGA)
mounted on the LRV.
As with all previous missions,
the system was mounted inside the Modularized Equipment
Stowage Assembly (MESA) in Quad 4 of the Lunar Module (LM) Descent
Stage. This gave the capability of broadcasting the first steps of
the astronauts as they climbed down the ladder of the LM at the start of
the first EVA. The astronauts would then
detach the camera from it's mount
in the MESA, mount the camera on a tripod, and carry it away from the LM
to show the progress of the EVA. (The crews of Apollo's 16 &
17 chose to wait until it was setup on the LRV before activating the TV,
in order to save time, no doubt). What made this camera truly unique
was that, once the LRV was fully deployed, it was then mounted on the LRV
and controlled by commands from the ground to tilt, pan, and zoom in and
out.
Above Left - Apollo 16 photo of the GCTA/TCU. Note
the white sunshade over the lens,
which was added after Apollo 15, and the manual
lens adjustment levers on top of the lens
Right - Another Apollo 16 photo, showing all 3 main elements
of the LRV TV system:
1. High gain antenna (HGA)
2. GCTA/TCU
3. Lunar Communications Relay Unit (LCRU)
The signal from the camera was routed through the LCRU,
processed,
then transmitted to Houston through
the HGA
MESA pallet stowage of the TCU, photo and diagram
Above left and left center - 2 great diagrams of
the GCTA/TCU system, with dimensions
Center - controls on the GCTA, including the lens control
levers
Right center - TCU alone
Right - TCU/GCTA combination - note absence of sunshade,
as it was used on Apollo 15
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Apollo
Lunar Surface Close-up Camera
For information on this system, see my
ALSEP page on the subject.
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Apollo
14 Lunar Geological Exploration Camera (Not Flown)
Very little has been written about this system.
It is known that it was originally part of a Lunar Geological Staff conceived
by Gene Shoemaker. According to the Apollo
Lunar Surface Journal, it was subcontracted to a small company that
was unable to handle the complexities of the assignment, and was subsequently
cancelled.
Quite by accident, I managed to find a diagram showing
the camera, in a GE Apollo Systems Publication about the Lunar Roving Vehicle
(LRV). The document is titled "Lunar Roving Vehicle Crew Equipment
Stowage Methods and Location", dated June 5, 1970. This diagram
shows that it would have been mounted under the main console of the LRV.
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Apollo
16 Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectograph (FUVC)
For information on this system, see my
ALSEP page on the subject.
Back to top
Links
Hasselblad Camera
Corp.
Apollo
11 Hasselblad Cameras - Apollo
Lunar Surface Journal (ALSJ) Article by Phillip Parker. Also
at the ALSJ, Apollo
TV and Communications Documentation - links to a ton of information,
especially related to the Apollo television cameras
ALSJ
list of Apollo photography related NASA documents on-line
Apollo
Mission Photography - at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) web
site. Information for every Apollo mission. Also at the LPI,
the fabulous Apollo
Image Atlas, which has small, browsable shots of every single frame
of Apollo lunar photography!
Apollo
16 Photographic Equipment - part of the Apollo
Flight Journal. Descriptions of all the major Apollo camera systems
National Air & Space Museum Apollo
Artifacts - includes photos and information on most of these cameras
Stereoscopic
Moon - Smithsonian Air & Space article about the Apollo Lunar Surface
Closeup Camera photography. Includes 3D views of several of the photos
taken by this system
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