NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
has operated several cameras on
spacecraft
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
over the course of its history.
Apollo Program
*
Apollo TV camera
The Apollo program used several television cameras in its space missions in the late 1960s and 1970s; some of these Apollo TV cameras were also used on the later Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz Test Project missions. These cameras varied in design, ...
*
Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium format cameras, photographic equipment and image scanners based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company originally became known for its classic analog medium-format cameras that used a waist ...
"Electric Camera" (modified 500 EL) with 70 mm film
* Maurer Data Acquisition Camera (DAC) with 16 mm film
*Nikon with 35 mm film
*Mapping (Metric) Camera (7.6 cm focal length) with 127 mm film, on Apollo 15, 16, and 17 (see
Sherman Fairchild#Lunar photography)
*Stellar Camera (7.6 cm focal length) with 35 mm film, on Apollo 15, 16, and 17
*Panoramic Camera (61 cm focal length) with 127 mm film, on Apollo 15, 16, and 17
Skylab
Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations ...
Personal camera equipment:
[EP-107 Skylab: A Guidebook]
Chapter 5
/ref>
*Television camera
*16 mm film video camera
*35 mm film camera
*70 mm film camera
Space Shuttle program
* Space Shuttle booster cameras.
* Space Shuttle External Tank camera
* ''Columbia''
** Shuttle Infrared Leeside Temperature Sensing experiment
*Nikon NASA F4
The Nikon NASA F4 Electronic Still Camera was one of the first and rarest fully digital cameras with development started in 1987. While Nikon delivered a modified Nikon F4 body, most of the electronics for the digital camera and housings were d ...
Lunar missions
* Pioneer program, 1958–1960
** ''Pioneer 1
Pioneer 1 (also known as Able 2) was an American space probe, the first under the auspices of NASA, which was launched by a Thor-Able rocket on 11 October 1958. It was intended to orbit the Moon and make scientific measurements, but due to a g ...
'', television camera
** ''Pioneer 2
Pioneer 2 (also known as Able 3) was the last of the three project Able space probes designed to probe lunar and cislunar space. The launch took place at 07:30:21 GMT on 8 November 1958. After Pioneer 1 had failed due to guidance system deficien ...
'', television camera
* Lunar Orbiter program
The Lunar Orbiter program was a series of five uncrewed lunar orbiter missions launched by the United States from 1966 through 1967. Intended to help select Apollo landing sites by mapping the Moon's surface, they provided the first photographs f ...
, Lunar Orbiter 1–5, 1966–1967
The camera used two lenses to simultaneously expose a wide-angle and a high-resolution image on the same film. The wide-angle, medium resolution mode used an 80 mm F 2.8 Xenotar lens manufactured by Schneider Kreuznach
Schneider Kreuznach () is the abbreviated name of the company Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH, which is sometimes also simply referred to as Schneider. They are a manufacturer of industrial and photographic optics. The company was founded on ...
, Germany. The high-resolution mode used a 610 mm F 5.6 Panoramic lens manufactured by the Pacific Optical Company. The film was developed on-orbit, and then scanned by a photomultiplier for transmission to Earth.
* ''Clementine
A clementine (''Citrus × clementina'') is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange ( ''C.'' × ''deliciosa'') and a sweet orange (''C. × sinensis''), named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who fir ...
'', 1994
** Ultraviolet/Visible camera (UV/Vis)
** Near-Infrared camera (NIR)
** High-Resolution Camera (HIRES)
* Lunar Precursor Robotic Program, 2009
** Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
*** Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC)
** Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite
The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA. The mission was conceived as a low-cost means of determining the nature of hydrogen detected at the polar regions of the Moon. Launched immed ...
*** One visible, two near infrared, and two mid-infrared cameras
* Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was an American lunar science mission in NASA's Discovery Program which used high-quality gravitational field mapping of the Moon to determine its interior structure. The two small spacecraf ...
, 2011
** Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students (MoonKAM)
Other missions
* Hazcam
*Navcam
Navcam, short for navigational camera, is a type of camera found on certain robotic rover (space exploration), rovers or spacecraft used for navigation without interfering with scientific instruments. Navcams typically take wide angle photographs t ...
*Pancam
Each Pancam is one of two electronic stereo cameras on Mars Exploration Rovers ''Spirit'' and ''Opportunity''. It has a filter wheel assembly that enables it to view different wavelengths of light and the pair of Pancams are mounted beside two ...
* Cachecam
See also
*List of cameras on ISS
The International Space Station has a large number of cameras, lenses, and other photography equipment on board.
List of cameras on ISS
*Kodak 760C (e.g. Kodak DCS 760)
*Nikon D1
*Nikon D2Xs
*Nikon D200
*Nikon D3
*Nikon D3X
* Nikon D3S
*Nik ...
*Nikon NASA F4
The Nikon NASA F4 Electronic Still Camera was one of the first and rarest fully digital cameras with development started in 1987. While Nikon delivered a modified Nikon F4 body, most of the electronics for the digital camera and housings were d ...
References
{{NASA space program
cameras on spacecraft
*
Cameras