What cameras were used on Apollo missions before Apollo 11?
Asked 3/30/2015
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I know the Apollo moon landings used Hasselblad medium-format cameras. What camera systems were used on the Apollo missions before Apollo 11?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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According to this NASA PDF, Apollo 7 and 8 did not take hand-held cameras, instead using vehicle mounted Maurer or custom-built cameras.
Apollo 9 had a Hasselblad Superwide, Apollo 10 had no hand held cameras, and Apollos 11 through 13 had custom built Hasselblad Lunar Data Cameras. Apollos 11 and 12 also had a 'Closeup Stereo ALSCC' camera.
There is a complete report on the camera systems used in the Gemini and Apollo programs here.
Originally by user3205. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3205
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Before Apollo 11, the camera systems varied by mission rather than using one standard hand-held camera throughout.
From the cited NASA material:
- Apollo 7 and Apollo 8 did not carry hand-held cameras; they used vehicle-mounted Maurer or other custom-built cameras.
- Apollo 9 used a Hasselblad Superwide.
- Apollo 10 did not carry hand-held cameras.
- Apollo 11 through Apollo 13 used custom-built Hasselblad Lunar Data Cameras.
- Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 also used a Closeup Stereo ALSCC camera.
So if you’re asking specifically about missions prior to Apollo 11, the key points are that Apollo 7, 8, and 10 relied on mounted/custom cameras, while Apollo 9 is the pre-Apollo-11 mission noted as using a hand-held Hasselblad Superwide.
For deeper detail, NASA documentation on Gemini and Apollo camera systems is the best source.
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