The Golden Age Of Space Exploration In Pictures

[Rob MacKillop]

From the Guardian

 

[Pete Askew]

Wonderful find Rob, thanks.

 

[Brian Moore]

What a great picture. Thanks, Rob.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Clearly a faked landing!

Great find Rob

This one peaked my interest

Couldn't help wondering how NASA had ended up with hand-held video cameras in 1969!

Quick Google later - amazing story...

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/1-small-step-for-a-cam-how-astronauts-shot-video-of-the-moon-landing/260122/

Westinghouse Lunar Color Camera

Usage: Apollo 10 (CSM), Apollo 11 (CSM), Apollo 12, Apollo 13, Apollo 14, Apollo 15 (CSM), Apollo 16 (CSM), Apollo 17 (CSM)
Additional planned usage not implemented: Skylab Orbital Test flights prior to 1980. The ASTP cameras were modified to fly on the shuttle had the STS CCTV system not been available for the hoped 1979 maiden launch. by the time STS-1 flew the RCA CCTV system was already in place. (Crew Station Closed Circuit Television CCTV for Operational Flight Tests 08.06.1976)

Resolution: more than 200 TV lines (SEC sensor - 350 TV Lines in vertical dimension)
Scan rate: 59.94+ fields/s monochrome (color filters alternated between each field) / 29.97+ frame/s / 525 lines/fr / 15734.26+ lines/s
Color: Field-sequential color system camera
Bandwidth: Real 4.5 MHz / 2 MHz up to 3 MHz (transmitter limitation)
Sensor: Secondary-Electron-Conduction (SEC) Tube
Optics: 6x zoom, F/4 to F/44

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 electron conduction tube (sensitive for low light conditions), rendering the camera useless for the remainder of the mission. The camera worked properly for about forty-two minutes.

On later missions, while modifications were made to prevent such accidents, problems were encountered with image brightness and contrast (and sharpness – due to the camera overheating while stored, and operating in the MESA).

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Good story, Chris. Never knew that.

 

[Ahmad Bhai]

If this photo was put in a book from the 1950's i doubt anyone could say it was taken recently.
I really like portraits as these ... a sense of science, time and a little danger.