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Topic: Apollo 11 EVA Camera (Read 304 times)

ajv

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Apollo 11 EVA Camera
« Thread Started on Oct 20, 2005, 11:30pm »

In The Truth Behind the Moon Landings documentary, the location of the EVA camera shutter release is shown as the large button on the lower front of the unit and there is discussion about the ability of a gloved astronaut to operate the shutter.

There are some Apollo 11 training photographs (e.g. S69-31108) showing the Aldrin using the camera. However, other Apollo 11 training photographs (e.g. KSC-69PC-362 - July 1969, S69-38508) show Aldrin using a camera with a handle attached to the camera assembly.

Did the Apollo 11 EVA camera have the handle?

The Technical Debrief suggests it did. Aldrin says:

There is no doubt that having the mount frees you to operate with both hands on other tasks. The handle is adequate to perform the job of pointing the camera.

Obviously there are no Apollo 11 EVA images of the Hasselblad itself. The sketch on page 10 the Apollo 11 press kit does not show a handle and a 16mm frame AP11FR07 is inconclusive. The low quality web movies of the EVA do not show enough detail but I can imagine that I see the handle or its shadow in the 16mm material. My SpacecraftFilms Apollo 11 DVD is on loan at the moment so I can't check if you can see a handle in the better quality TV or 16mm footage.

There is a photograph of the Apollo 11 camera equipment on the LPI site with a handle but that could just be sloppiness by the web author because they use the same image (with different names) on all of their mission pages.

In the Apollo 12 ALSJ, at 116:10:25, Eric Jones talks about a trigger on the handle:

The checklist calls for Al to mount one of the 70 mm cameras on the bracket on the front of his chest-mounted RCU. This will leave his hands free for other tasks. When he needs to take a picture, all he needs to do is squeeze a trigger on the handle which is also attached to the bracket.

On the LPI Apollo 12 Camera Equipment page, it says

The operating sequence was initiated by squeezing a trigger mounted on the camera handle. [...] The cameras were bracket-mounted on the front of the LM astronauts' EVA suits.

Consider 70-HC-74 and the Aldrin training photograph above. There seems to be a mechanical link between the trigger and the button on the Hasselblad unit. It is also visible in the Apollo 12 EVA AS12-49-7281 (HR).

So, did the Apollo 11 EVA camera have the shutter release trigger on a handle rather than directly on the Hasselblad itself as the documentary suggests?

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Kiwi

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Re: Apollo 11 EVA Camera
« Reply #1 on Oct 22, 2005, 5:56am »

Quote:

My SpacecraftFilms Apollo 11 DVD is on loan at the moment...

...and is greatly appreciated.

Quote:

Did the Apollo 11 EVA camera have the handle?

Yes. The grip certainly was used during the Apollo 11 EVA, and is visible in the following sections of the Spacecraft Films' Apollo 11 DVDs. My notes are in italics and I include the ground elapsed times and some of the dialogue to help with placement of the activity.

TV Camera
09:49 GET 109:30:23 Armstrong: The (70mm) camera is installed on the RCU bracket. (Pause) And I'm storing the LEC on the secondary strut.
10:10 View of the camera with the grip underneath, but it is not highly visible due to flare from the sunlit background.
10:18 GET 109:30:53 Armstrong: I'll step out and take some of my first pictures here.
10:28 Neil reaches with his right hand and holds the grip.
10:31 GET 109:31:05 McCandless: Roger. Neil, we're reading you loud and clear. We see you getting some pictures and the contingency sample.
Here, Bruce McCandless dropped a not-too-subtle hint on behalf of the geologists, who by now were probably frantic about Neil getting the contingency sample.

16mm Camera
14:02 As Neil collects the contingency sample he turns to his left and the grip is visible.
Later:
14:48 GET 109:34:56 Armstrong: ...Also, I am looking at one now that appears to have some sort of phenocrysts.
14:53 Neil turns to his left and the black camera grip and then his face become visible.

TV Camera
31:43 GET 109:52:24 Aldrin: Neil is now unveiling the plaque that is (garbled) gear.
31:54 As Neil unveils the plaque the full camera, complete with grip, can be seen in profile over the next seven seconds as Buzz moves behind it.
32:05 GET 109:52:40 Armstrong: For those who haven't read the plaque, we'll read the plaque that's on the front landing gear of this LM. First there's two hemispheres, one showing each of the two hemispheres of the Earth. Underneath it says "Here Men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind." It has the crew members' signatures and the signature of the President of the United States.

16mm Camera
1:02:39 On angle three, photos of Buzz's footprint and boot are shown out of place. This appears to be an error in both the Spacecraft Films' DVD and the earlier, CD-ROM version, of the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal. Here, Buzz is standing over disturbed, footprinted soil and testing it with his boot, but he doesn't have the camera. See 1:05:51 and 1:06:51 for the correct times.
1:02:54 GET 110:23:32 Aldrin: The blue color of my boots has completely disappeared now into this...Still don't know exactly what color to describe this other than (a) grayish-cocoa color. It seems to be covering most of the lighter part of the boot (garbled) color that (garbled) very fine particles.
1:03:33 GET 110:24:11 McCandless: Buzz, this is Houston. You're cutting out on the end of your transmissions. Can you speak a little more closely into your microphone? Over.
1:03:38 Buzz turns to his right and faces the 16mm camera. It can be clearly seen that he doesn't have the Hasselblad.
1:03:45 GET 110:24:23 Aldrin: Roger. I'll try that.
1:03:46 GET 110:24:25 McCandless: Beautiful.

TV Camera
1:04:05 Buzz can be seen below the flag as he walks to the MESA to collect the Hasselblad.
1:04:30 Buzz turns away from the MESA. GET 110:25:09 Aldrin: In general, time spent in the shadow doesn't seem to have any (garbled) thermal effects. (garbled) feel inside the suit. There is a difference, of course, in the (garbled) radiation and the helmet. So I think there's a tendency to feel a little cooler in the shadow than we feel out in the Sun. (Pause)

16mm Camera
1:05:03 GET 110:25:41 McCandless: Columbia, this is Houston. Over. (No answer; Long Pause)
1:05:12 Part of Buzz can be seen in the small view (angle 3), adding to the shadow of the LM at left centre.
1:05:26 McCandless: Columbia, this is Houston. Over. (No answer; Long Pause)
1:05:27 Buzz emerges from the LM's shadow.
1:05:51 Buzz is photographing undisturbed lunar soil. He is on the extreme left of the screen and can barely be seen in the full-screen version, angle 2, but more of him can be seen in the smaller multiple-screen version, angle 3. He has disconnected the camera from the RCU bracket and holds it by the grip, away from his body with the lens pointing down.
1:06:01 Buzz disappears offscreen.
1:06:17 McCandless: Columbia, this is Houston. Over.
1:06:24 GET 110:27:03 Collins: Houston, Columbia in (Omni) Delta.
1:06:26 GET 110:27:05 McCandless: Roger. You should have VHF AOS with the LM right about now. VHF LOS will be about (110 hours) 40 minutes 15 seconds. Over.
1:06:51 Buzz is photographing the soil, his footprint and his boot. Visibility and the way he holds the camera are the same as at 1:05:51.
1:07:35 End of soil, footprint and boot photography.
1:07:44 GET 110:28:22 Aldrin: As I look around the area, the contrast, in general, is... comes about completely by virtue of the shadows. Almost (garbled) looking down-Sun at zero-phase very light-colored gray, light gray color (garbled) a halo around my own shadow, around the shadow of my helmet.
Later:
1:09:17 Buzz walks over the area where he photographed his footprint and boot.

Also worthy of note and not mentioned in the ALSJ:
23:52 GET 109:44:28 Aldrin: Yeah. And it bounces and then (garbled).
24:04 Both astronauts take three small jumps.

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« Last Edit: Oct 23, 2005, 7:22pm by Kiwi »

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