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 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 Uvicon television tube is an unflown example of those flown on Project Celescope, a project developed at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in the 1960s to survey the entire ultraviolet sky from the Orbiting Astronomical Satellite. The detector is based upon standard Westinghouse "Vidicon" technology, used in TV systems of that day, and comprises the smaller diameter back end of the glass tube. The larger front section is an experimental imaging system that converts ultraviolet light into electrons and focuses them electrostatically onto the front of the Vidicon, which then scans the surface, producing a varying current that was telemetered to the ground for analysis. The data from Celescope resulted in a catalog of over 5,000 ultraviolet colors for stars.

The tube was transferred to NASM from SAO in 1973.

 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-Scientific Manufacturer Westinghouse
 Dimensions 3-D: 31.1 x 7cm (12 1/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
 Materials Glass, plastic, steel, ceramic, electronics, aluminum, synthetic foam
 Inventory Number A19740052001 Credit Line Transferred from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.