This device contains gyroscopes, accelerometers, and other equipment to provide a "stable platform" for the Apollo 15 Command Module. A stable platform is a reference point, from which the astronauts could perform calculations for navigation, guidance, and control from Earth orbit to the Moon and back.
Apollo 15, crewed by astronauts Dave Scott, Al Worden, and James Irwin, was the fourth Apollo mission to the lunar surface, in July, 1971.
Transferred from NASA to the Museum in 1977.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
United States of America
INSTRUMENTS-Navigational
AC Spark Plug Division, General Motors Corporation
Overall: 13 in. tall x 10 1/2 in. diameter spheroid (33.02 x 26.67cm)
Case: metal, probably aluminum
Gyroscopes: other metals
A19770224000
Transferred from National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Air and Space Museum
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.