NASA Apollo KSC Saturn Launch Pad Melted and Cracked Photosonics Camera Lens for Sale

NASA Apollo KSC Saturn Launch Pad Melted and Cracked Photosonics Camera Lens For Sale

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NASA Apollo KSC Saturn Launch Pad Melted and Cracked Photosonics Camera Lens:
$395.00

NASA Apollo KSC Saturn Launch Pad Melted and Cracked Photosonics Camera Lens.This lens as originally part of the Charles H Bell Space Hardware Collection.
He purchased this artifact at a NASA Kennedy Space Center sale in the 1970-80 time period.
Photosonics was one the the premier 16 mm high speed film camera manufactures for the Apollo Program.
There were no high speed digital cameras available during the Apollo Moon shots, so mechanical register high speed cameras had to be incorporated.
This lens was part of the recording system used to view the Rocketdyne F-1 exhaust during the Saturn V Launches.
The the results of this can be witnessed in condition of this item.
The destruction of this expensive optical device was necessary to get a high resolution motion picture of the actual combustion process during launch.
The extremely rapid increase in temperature would have been necessary to cause this lens to shatter and the Aluminum frame to crack in this fashion.
The Photosonics High Speed Camera itself was protected behind a armored shield which kept the Mylar 16mm film from damage.The basic dimensions are approximately: 3.625 inches long by 2.5 inches in diameter.Actual video footage of the Apollo mission launches can be seen from PAD 39 on Google images and YouTube using high speed film cameras.