Skip to main content

Search

Donate

Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Hours and Locations
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Mall Museum Map
    • Dining
    • Shopping
    • Accessibility
    • Group Visits
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • Art & Design
    • History & Culture
    • Science & Conservation
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Smithsonian Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer and Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Mobile Apps
  • Learn
    • For Kids and Teens
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Field Trips
      • Professional Development
      • Events
    • Youth Programs
    • Fellowships and Internships
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Citizen Science
    • Work with Us
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • About Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Make a Gift
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Organization
      • Leadership
        • Secretary Bunch
        • Advancement
        • Communications
        • Administration
        • Education
        • Museums and Culture
        • Science and Research
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Records Request Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
          • Goals and Accomplishments
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Camera, Lunar Lander, Surveyor, Variable Focal Length and Iris Assembly

National Air and Space Museum

Addthis Share Tools

    • Print

Object Details

Manufacturer
Hughes Aircraft Co.
Summary
This variable focal length and iris camera assembly was mounted on the Surveyor spacecraft. The iris could be operated in an automatic mode, which was controlled by integrating the scene luminance through a photocell in the lens.
In 1970, the Hughes Aircraft Co. donated the camera to the Smithsonian Institution.
Long Description
This is the variable focal length and iris assembly, which was mounted in the cylinderical lens support structure under the mirror elevation drive assembly in the Survey TV camera on the Surveyor spacecraft. It was responsible for the optical formation of the image on the underlying vidicon faceplate. The lens could vary its focus from 1.23 m to infinity by means of a rotating focus cell. Although the lens was a zoom type, it was calibrated to operate only at 25- or 100-mm focal lengths. These positions correspond to a wide-angle field of view of 25.2 x 25.2 degrees and a narrow-angle field of view of 6.4 x 6.4 degrees, respectively. In the narrow angle mode, the angular resolution of the camera was >0.5 mrad at 15% relative response, which allowed investigators to discriminate objects <1 mm in diameter near the spacecraft footpads (1.6 m from the camera). The iris could be operated by ground commands to give 11 positions for calibration, resulting in the capability of changing the aperture area by a factor of 1.414 to the values of f/4, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.7, f/8, f/9.5, f/11, f/13, f/16, f/19, and f/22. The iris could also be operated in an automatic mode, which was controlled by integrating the scene luminance through a photocell in the lens. Potentiometers geared to the iris, focal length, and focus elements allowed readouts of these functions.
Credit Line
Donated by Hughes Aircraft Co.
Inventory Number
A19700116000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed-Instruments & Payloads
Materials
Lens with housing and motors.
Dimensions
Overall: 5 in. tall x 3 1/4 in. wide x 5 1/4 in. deep, 1 lb. (12.7 x 8.3 x 13.3cm, 0.5kg)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Location
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
Exhibit Station
Space Science
National Air and Space Museum
Record ID
nasm_A19700116000
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv99f3c3dd4-bc2b-415c-ab01-984e7c6586f6

Related Content

  • Space Science

    Air and Space Museum
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Human Resources
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top