Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 1 ft. 4in. tall x 8 1/2 in. wide, 16 lb. (40.64 x 21.59cm, 7.3kg)
Materials:
Metal, composites, plastics
Each Viking Lander was equipped with two identical cameras that, unlike conventional cameras, did not use film. Instead, a moveable mirror scanned a vertical segment of the martian scene, and photodetectors recorded the amount of light reflected into the camera. A complete picture, or "image" of the surface was made by completing a vertical scan, and then rotating the camera slightly for the next scan.
This back-up camera was transferred from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to the Museum in 1981.
Transferred from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
