1 Images

NASA had these computer chips available for use with the IMAX camera in the payload bay of the space shuttle on seven missions in the 1980s and 1990s. The camera was used to capture film footage for four IMAX productions. Perhaps the most notable use of the camera was to film the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope during STS-31 in 1990, footage was also used in the IMAX films Destiny in Space (1994) and Hubble 3D (2010).

To permit remote control camera, these computer chips were each programed for different focal lengths so a command could be sent to the camera to make changes during filming.

Gift of the IMAX Corporation in 2011.

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

Taiwan

Type

EQUIPMENT-Photographic

Manufacturer

Texas Instruments Inc.

Dimensions

3-D (Plastic Box): 10.2 × 12.1 × 3.8cm (4 × 4 3/4 × 1 1/2 in.)
3-D (Larger Chips): 3.2 × 1.6 × 1cm (1 1/4 × 5/8 × 3/8 in.)
3-D (Small Chips): 1.5 × 1.9 × 0.8cm (5/8 × 3/4 × 5/16 in.)

Materials

Plastic
Synthetic
Paper
Coating
Steel
Ceramic
Aluminum

Inventory Number

A20120259004

Credit Line

Gift of the IMAX Corporation

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.