Apollo TV camera
RCA slow scan TV camera
Apollo 7 slow-scan TV
Apollo 7 and Apollo 8 used an RCA slow scan camera.
Lines per video frame: 320
Frame rate: (SSTV) 10 frame/s
Black and white
Westinghouse Apollo Lunar Television Camera
Lunar Module training mockup, showing relative position of deployed camera
Usage: Apollo 9 (Earth orbit), Apollo 11 (lunar surface), Apollo 13 and Apollo 14 (back-up to the lunar surface color camera, never used)
Optical resolution: ~220x~220
Lines per video frame: 320, 1280 (not used)
Frame rate: (SSTV) 10 frame/s, 0.65 frame/s (not used)
Bandwidth: 409.6 kHz
Black and white
Sensor: 1 vidicon
Analog FM transmission
The camera was built by Westinghouse, was 11 by 6 by 3 inches (280 mm 150 mm 76 mm) in size, and weighed 7.25 pounds (3.29 kg), It consumed 6.25 watts of power. It had four interchangeable lenses: “telephoto”, “wide-angle”, “lunar day” and “lunar night”.
Photo of the high-quality SSTV image received from Apollo 11 at Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station
Photo of the high-quality SSTV image before the scan conversion
Photo of the high-quality SSTV image before the scan conversion
Westinghouse camera on the Lunar surface during Apollo 11
Westinghouse Lunar Color Camera
Usage: Apollo 10 (lunar orbit), Apollo 11 (lunar orbit), Apollo 12, Apollo 13 and Apollo 14
Resolution: ~175x~175
Lines per frame: 262
Frame rate: 60 frame/s BW / 20 frame/s color (color filters alternated between each field)
Color: Field-sequential color system camera
Bandwidth: 2 MHz
Sensor: Secondary-Electron-Conduction (SEC) Tube
This camera was based on the TV camera used on previous missions inside the CSM, with modifications to adapt it to the lunar environment.
During the early part of the first Apollo 12 EVA, the camera was inadvertently pointed at the 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. The camera worked properly for about forty-two minutes. On later missions problems were encountered with image brightness and contrast.
Apollo 10 TV image of Earth
Apollo 11 TV image
Apollo 12 EVA TV image
Westinghouse color camera on the Lunar surface during Apollo 12
Apollo 14 EVA image
Edgar Mitchell with the Apollo 14 camera
RCA J-Series Ground-Commanded Television Assembly (GCTA)
Usage: Apollo 15, Apollo 16 and Apollo 17
Resolution: ~ 200 lines
Frame rate: 60 frame/s BW / 20 frame/s color (color filters alternated between each field)
Color: Field-sequential color system camera
Spectral response: 350700 nm
Gamma: 1.0
Sensitivity: > 32 dB signal to noise ratio
Dynamic range: > 32:1
Sensor: Silicon Intensifier Target (SIT) Tube
Optics: 6x zoom, f/2.2 to f/22
Automatic light control (ALC): average or peak scene luminance
Because of the failure of the camera on Apollo 12, a new contract was awarded to the RCA Astro division in Hightstown, NJ. The RCA system was a new, more sensitive and durable TV camera tube. The design team was headed by Robert G. Horner. The team used newly developed SIT, and the improved images were obvious to the public.
The system was composed of the Color Television Camera (CTV) and the Television Control Unit (TCU). These were connected to the Lunar Communications Relay Unit (LCRU) when mounted on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV).
Once the LRV was fully deployed, the camera was mounted there and controlled by commands from the ground to tilt, pan, and zoom in and out.
GCTA transmission from the LRV
Apollo 15 television camera and high-gain antenna
Apollo 16 television camera. Notice the sunshade attached to the top of the lens, a feature first used on Apollo 16.
See also
Apollo 11 missing tapes
Notes
^ Apollo TV PDF
References
“Live TV From the Moon” by Dwight Steven-Boniecki. ISBN-10: 1926592166, ISBN-13: 978-1926592169 The first comprehensive written work detailing the TV cameras developed and used on the Apollo lunar missions. Due in June 2010.
Apollo TV and Communications Documentation
Apollo Lunar TV – Its History and Development from Armstrong to Leonov
Ground-Commanded Television Assembly (GCTA)
Apollo 10 Television
Sarkissian, John. Television from the Moon. The Parkes Observatory’s Support of the Apollo 11 Mission. Latest Update: 21 October 2005.
The Cameras of Apollo – Hosts many pictures and other information on lunar surface cameras
External links
Honeysuckle Creek discusses some of the Apollo 11 moonwalk video.
Apollo Talks Episode 8 is about the Apollo TV camera.
Categories: Apollo program | Space cameras
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