10 Images

This 40mm lens was used for interior and exterior cabin filming with the IMAX camera on twelve space shuttle missions in the 1980s and 1990s. It was the most common lens used in IMAX space filming for shots of Earth and using ASA 25 film.

Astronauts used the camera to capture film footage that contributed to five IMAX productions. The first of these, The Dream Is Alive (1985), still ranks as the most popular of all IMAX feature films. Four of the films were co-sponsored by IMAX, NASA, the National Air and Space Museum, and Lockheed Martin. By carefully training the astronauts not only to operate the camera but also to act as cinematographers to capture both the thrilling and ordinary activities in orbit, IMAX produced films that virtually put the audience inside and outside the shuttle.

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

West Germany

Type

EQUIPMENT-Photographic

Manufacturer

Carl Zeiss G.m.b.H.
IMAX Corporation

Dimensions

3-D (Overall): 14.8 × 15.5 × 13.2cm (5 13/16 × 6 1/8 × 5 3/16 in.)
3-D (Lens): 14 × 15.5 × 13.2cm (5 1/2 × 6 1/8 × 5 3/16 in.)
3-D (Front Cover): 4.7 × 12.7cm (1 7/8 × 5 in.)
3-D (Rear Cover): 4.7 × 12.7cm (1 7/8 × 5 in.)

Materials

Aluminum, brass, glass, plastic, steel

Inventory Number

A20120258003

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.