This artifact is an engineering model of a sensor used in experiments aboard Skylab in 1973 and 1974 to assess the feasibility of studying the Earth at various wavelengths of light. Called a multispectral scanner, the device was used in conjunction with a reflecting telescope and rotating mirror to determine wavelength signatures for various Earth resources applications including agriculture, forestry, geology, hydrology, and oceanography. It gathered images in twelve bands of visible and infrared light.
NASA transferred this artifact to the Museum in 1979.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.