Camera, Satellite Tracking, Baker-Nunn, Primary Mirror, Mirror Support
Usage Conditions May ApplyUsage Conditions ApplyThere are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
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https://iiif.si.eduView ManifestView in Mirador ViewerUsage Conditions May ApplyUsage Conditions ApplyThere 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.eduView ManifestView in Mirador ViewerUsage Conditions May ApplyUsage Conditions ApplyThere 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.eduView ManifestView in Mirador Viewer
This is the primary mirror and mirror support from the Baker-Nunn wide-field telescopic cameras that were built for, and used by, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. After passing through the corrector cell, light is reflected off this 31 inch f/1 spherical mirror and onto a photographic plate where film exposures are made. In 1958, SAO established a worldwide network of 12 camera stations to photograph satellites slated to be launched during the International Geophysical Year. This mirror and its support are from the initial camera sited at Oregon Pass, NM. It obtained the first civilian photograph of a satellite when Sputnik 1 flew over the Boller and Chivens Company in Pasadena, California while the camera was still being tested. The modified Schmidt type optics were designed by James Baker and manufactured by Perkin-Elmer while the camera proper and mounting were designed by Joseph Nunn and manufactured by Boller and Chivens Company.
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory transferred the camera to NASM in December 1980 as part of a general suite of satellite ranging and tracking systems employed by SAO, including a laser-ranging system.
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
EQUIPMENT-Photographic
Manufacturer
Boller & Chivens Company
Perkin-Elmer Corporation Dimensions
Storage (Rehoused on aluminum pallet): 121.9 × 121.9 × 69.9cm, 655.9kg (48 × 48 × 27 1/2 in., 1446lb.) Materials
Aluminum, Steel, Copper, Foam, Adhesive, Paint, Paper, Phenolic Resin, Wood Inventory Number
A19840406005
Credit Line
Transferred from Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.