Apollo 17: TV camera pointing at the Sun

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Author	Topic: Apollo 17: TV camera pointing at the Sun
Obviousman Member Posts: 438 From: NSW, Australia Registered: May 2005	posted 09-24-2010 04:16 AM Just watching my brand new Spacecraft Films Apollo 17 collection, and looking at the EVA 1 sequence. I notice that right at the beginning, when the camera pans left towards the LM, it encounters the Sun. The operator (Ed Fendell?) does start to lower the camera angle so to point away from the Sun, but initially the screen reminded me of the screen Apollo 12 saw just before they burnt out the videcon tube. Did Apollo 17 nearly do the same?
space1 Member Posts: 861 From: Danville, Ohio Registered: Dec 2002	posted 09-24-2010 04:38 AM After the Apollo 12 TV camera burn-out, protection circuitry was added for all later cameras.
Obviousman Member Posts: 438 From: NSW, Australia Registered: May 2005	posted 09-24-2010 06:29 AM Thank you!
garymilgrom Member Posts: 1966 From: Atlanta, GA Registered: Feb 2007	posted 09-24-2010 08:18 AM As a matter of fact they devised a sacrificial screen that was part of the vidicon pickup tube. This screen was designed to burn up to save the imaging part of the tube behind it. A very advanced arrangement for the time. This is well covered in the book Live TV From the Moon.

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