TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Camelot on the Moon - From Our Archives

Re: Camelot on the Moon - From Our Archives

Scott Dorsey (kludge@panix.com)
16 Jul 2005 15:59:39 -0400

Justa Lurker <JustaLurker@att.net> wrote:

> (2) ... as well as numerous mentions of "NASA color video and sound
> we were all observing from the moon". While there was indeed
> capability for color video from the Command Module [at that point, in
> orbit around the moon tens of miles overhead], the transmissions from
> the Apollo 11 Lunar Module on the surface of the moon were monochrome.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As I recall, what we saw on television
> that night was entirely black and white. However, in the NASA archives
> (reached via this report in our telecom archives) there are many color
> photos of the same event; also you can see the certificate NASA awarded
> Don Kimberlin for his part in the project. PAT]

Indeed, the Apollo 11 camera was monochrome. I don't think it was
until Apollo 14 that we got color images from the moon's surface in
realtime. And the monochrome images from 11 were pretty awful due to
limited channel bandwidth.

The color images in the NASA archives were all shot on 70mm rollfilm
in a modified Hasselblad still camera, and did not appear in the press
until after the astronauts had brought the film back and the KSC guys
processed it.

For another interesting viewpoint on the video downlink for Apollo 11,
let me recommend the Australian film _The Dish_.

scott

"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: Jeffrey Mattox: "Re: Camelot on the Moon - From Our Archives"
Go to Previous message: John Levine: "Re: Who Really Controls Internet?"
May be in reply to: Patrick Townson: "Camelot on the Moon - From Our Archives"
Next in thread: Jeffrey Mattox: "Re: Camelot on the Moon - From Our Archives"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page