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Apollo 11 Mission
Astronauts Take ITT Stereoscopic Camera on Apollo 11 Mission 
A special stereoscopic color camera built by ITT enabled Apollo 11 astronauts to photograph extreme close-ups of rocks, dust, and minute features of the Moon's surface.
ITT's main challenge in preparing for the first manned Moon landing was to design a camera easy enough for an astronaut to operate while wearing a pressure suit and heavy gloves, which limited mobility, visibility and dexterity. About the size and shape of a large shoebox, the camera featured an extendable handle resembling a walking stick. By resting the camera on a lunar rock, the astronaut photographer simply pressed a trigger on the handle to take a picture—all without bending over. Photos of the lunar soil taken by Neil Armstrong enabled scientists to see soil particles smaller than two one-thousandths of an inch, and to identify the shape of particles at least as small as four one-thousandths of an inch. Each stereoscopic exposure resulted in two side-by-side photographs of the same lunar area measuring roughly three inches square. Armstrong took a total of 17 picture pairs before digging samples to bring back to Earth. He also photographed larger features of the lunar surface he couldn't bring back, like parts of larger rocks or fissures, and the junction of larger rocks. These photographs, together with the samples returned to Earth, have provided valuable insights into geologic processes on the airless Moon. The Camera ITT was given the go-ahead from NASA to develop the camera just seven months before the historic Lunar landing. To meet the demanding time schedule, ITT engineers relied chiefly on pre-existing designs for lenses, automatic mechanisms to advance the 35mm film, and other integral parts. The camera had two 46mm six-element lenses, a fixed shutter speed of 1/100th of a second, and a fixed effective aperture of f/22.6. The camera held the film slightly less than 10 inches away from the surface. Light was provided by an integral electronic flash. Each film image measured about one inch square. |
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