This is the flight design verification unit (FDVU) of the white light coronagraph, one of the principal Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) instruments on Skylab. It studied the sun's outer atmosphere, its corona. The coronagraph photographically monitored the brightness of the solar corona over a wavelength range from 3500 to 7000 Angstroms. Prior to building the actual flight unit, Ball Aerospace Systems of Boulder, Colorado, constructed two working models of the telescope, an engineering prototype and the FDVU. The FDVU was used at the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research to test new instrument concepts. It may have flown once in a balloon-borne test. In 1982 the engineering prototype was transferred from the Marshall Space Flight Center to HAO. The latter then transferred the FDVU to NASM in March 1983.
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
Ball Aerospace Systems Division
Dimensions
3-D (Aluminum Pallet Storage): 366.4 × 121.9 × 144.8cm, 321.6kg (12 ft. 1/4 in. × 4 ft. × 4 ft. 9 in., 709lb.)
3-D (Container, Coronagraph ATM): 349.9 × 83.8 × 129.5cm, 237.7kg (11 ft. 5 3/4 in. × 2 ft. 9 in. × 4 ft. 3 in., 524lb.)
3-D (Weight includes original container): 315 × 53.3 × 55.9cm, 617.8kg (10 ft. 4 in. × 1 ft. 9 in. × 1 ft. 10 in., 1362lb.)
Materials
HAZMAT: Possible Cadmium Plating
Mixed lightweight metals, glass, electronic components; Aluminum, Copper, Epoxy, Kapton (Polymide), Rubber (silicone), Plastic, Steel, Gold Plating, Glass, Acrylic (Plexiglas)
Inventory Number
A19830169000
Credit Line
Transferred from the National Center for Atmospheric Research
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.