The optical device which the astronauts used for navigation while in the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) is an alignment optical telescope (AOT). The AOT was a periscope-type device that protruded through the top of the LM. The astronauts used AOT to make direct visual sightings and record precise angular measurements of pairs of celestial objects. This information was transferred to the Module's guidance computer, which determined the spacecraft's attitude and permitted the alignment of its intertial guidence system.
This item is an unflown surplus production version with the manufacturer's serial number 6. NASA transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1975.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
INSTRUMENTS-Navigational
Manufacturer
Kollsman Instrument Company
Designer
MIT Instrumentation Laboratory
Dimensions
3-D: 91.4 x 20.3 x 30.5cm (36 x 8 x 12 in.)
Materials
OVERALL - BERYLLIUM
Inventory Number
A19760808000
Credit Line
Transferred from the NASA - Johnson Space Center
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.
