Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

This artifact is part of the Optical Unit of an Apollo Command Module. It is an unflown specimen that may have been used for engineering tests.

The Optical Unit was one of three principal parts of an inertial guidance and navigation system installed on Apollo spacecraft, which enabled its crew to navigate from Earth orbit to the Moon and back. The full system consisted an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), which contained gryoscopes and accelerometers that established the craft's base position and attitude, an optical unit such as this one, which allowed the astronauts to update the IMU's settings based on sightings of stars and planets, and a digital computer, which processed information from the other units and controlled the craft.

 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 Contractor Delco Co.
 Manufacturer Kollsman Instrument Company
 Dimensions 3-D: 40.6 × 55.9 × 25.4cm (1 ft. 4 in. × 1 ft. 10 in. × 10 in.)
 Materials Aluminum
Non-Magnetic White Metal
Adhesive
Paint
Plastic
Ceramic
Paper
Electronic Component
 Inventory Number A19770183000 Credit Line Transfer from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.