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NASA
modified Nikon F3 small camera
flown on Shuttle Missions STS-27, STS-42 & SLS-1
This
camera is referred to as a Nikon F3 'small' camera. It is called such
in that it was capable of holding a maximum of 72 frames per film. The
'Big Camera' has a specially designed film back which was capable of holding
250 frames
This
particular camera has been noted by NASA at the Johnson Space Center in
Houston, TX as having been used on three Shuttle Missions:
STS-27
This was the third flight of the shuttle Atlantis and carried a classified
payload for the Department of Defense.
The mission lasted from December 2-8, 1988
STS-40
/ SLS-1
This mission carried the SpaceLab module for the SpaceLab Sciences
1 mission, which was the first mission dedicated solely to biology
The mission was flown on Columbia and lasted from June 5-14, 1991
STS-42
This mission was flown on the Shuttle Discovery and carried the SpaceLab
module.
The mission lasted from January 22-30, 1992 and included Canada's first
female astronaut, Roberta Bondar
History
When
NASA first used photographic still camera equipment in the 1960s, they
used primarily 70mm-format films and big bulky modified Hasselblad cameras.
They found, however, that they needed a more portable camera for more
active shooting situations.
Nikon, whose cameras had a reputation for reliability in the U.S. market,
was selected as a special manufacturer of 35mm cameras for NASA. As a
result, a special team at Nippon Kogaku's Ohi Plant in Japan took charge
of product development.
NASA
had very specific requirements for the cameras to be produced. The camera
would be subjected to a vacuum and zero-gravity conditions. In addition,
since the spacecraft compartment is air tight, it was crucial that harmful
gas or fire never be generated from the camera. Furthermore, the camera
needed to be easy to operate for someone wearing gloves and of course,
be extremely reliable. NASA also noted that the rays of the sun and their
reflection on the camera body may be stronger than those on the earth's
surface, so reflective properties must be contained. Finally, the weight
of cargo aboard the craft should be limited as much as possible for launching.
In order
to meet these demanding conditions, Nippon Kogaku's special product development
team used the popular professional Nikon F as the base body and made numerous
modifications. For example:
- The leather-like
body cover generally used for the Nikon F had been changed to a metal
plate painted in matte black.
- Adhesives usedwere
reformuated to NASA specifications.
- For plastic parts,
materials generally used for F cameras had to be changed to specified
parts for greater durability.
- The battery chamber
was redesigned to prevent accidental leakage from the camera body.
- Electrical parts
were soldered in accordance with NASA standards.
- The standard
thickness of the plating was modified.
- Dimensions were
also changed to accommodate thinner, polyester-based films.
- Shutter accuracy
standards were critical and NASA's requirements were even more stringent
than those of Nikon.
The
technologies Nikon used in developing cameras for NASA finally went into
use in 1971. The modified F camera and some modified interchangeable lenses
were provided to NASA for the Apollo 15 mission. Then, in 1973, a modified
version of the F camera with a motor drive and modified lens were supplied
for use aboard Skylab.
These NASA cameras were of course very costly. It is said that Nippon
Kogaku took heavy losses. However, these losses were balanced out by the
value of the experience in the space project. Nippon Kogaku took what
they had learned and used it to improve the reliability and operational
performance of Nikon products. The development of the camera for NASA
using the Nikon F body as a base and the development of the Nikon F2 occurred
in parallel.
NASA did not require increasing numbers of the modified F2 cameras, and
in fact the F2 NASA camera was never actually manufactured.
However,
in the late 70s, Nikon went to work on camera models for NASA that were
based on the F3 body. There were the "Small Camera", which was
equipped with a motor drive, and the "Big Camera" for long film
that were delivered to NASA for use aboard the space shuttle in 1981.
While the Nikon F3 was still being developed and many issues had yet to
be decided, NASA went ahead and formally declared the Nikon F3 to be an
official NASA camera. The F3 models for NASA, and those for mass consumption,
were developed side-by-side at the Ohi Plant. Another special team was
assigned to the development of the F3 for NASA.
Compared to the modified F models for NASA, the F3 for NASA was much more
similar to the F3 models made for the public, however there are many subtle
differences, as this white paper will illustrate.
What
makes a NASA modified F3 small camera different than a regular consumer
F3?
Well some changes are obvious and others are much less so.
Here
is what I learned in doing a 1:1 comparison to my consumer F3 model:
- The width of
the body is about 5mm wider than
the consumer model
- The film counter on
the top of the camera winds to 72
From what I understand, Kodak was contracted to develop a thinner
emulsion film that was able to hold 72 35mm images from a standard
cassette magazine this helped to minimize film changes.
The F3 Small Camera utilized the 72 exposure rolls.
- The F3 small camera also
features an enlarged bubble magnification window for the film
counter.
The window was most likely improved to support EVA (extra vehicular
activities; or use outside of the Shuttle such as on spacewalks)
- •The release button
on the shutter speed dial is silver on the consumer F3 and black
and slightly smaller on the NASA modified
- The center of the film
advance lever is silver on the consumer F3 and black on the
NASA modified
- The typeface is larger
on the Motor Drive controller (Continuous/Single/Off)
on the NASA modified
•The advance lever handle is taller on the NASA modified
and notched on the end.
•There is no power switch on the advance lever of the
NASA modified like there is on the consumer F3
The camera derives its power from the insertion of the battery pack
into the drive.
•There is no multiple exposure lever on the NASA modified
That would stand to reason as I doubt the astronauts would be doing
special effect creative shots.
•There is no film plane indicator mark on the top of the
NASA modified
-
The exposure
compensator button is black on the NASA modified and silver
on the consumer F3
•The ASA/ISO dial increments differ on the NASA modified.
Both go from 12-6400, but the NASA modified displays 12,25,64,100,160,320,500,1000,2000,4000,6400
and the consumer F3 displays 12,25,64,100,200,400,800,1600,3200,6400
This likely points to special emulsions that were commissioned from
Kodak to produce along with the 72 exposure cassettes.
•For the F3 small camera bodies, I have yet to see a Nikon
sequenced serial number on any of the parts visible on the outside.
Instead all removable pieces have dual engraved serial numbers (finder,
body, focusing screen, door, battery holders, motor drive, battery
pack cap). The P/N number was NASA's part number and begins with
SED. The Serial Number for that particular part usually followed
beneath as the S/N. Of the F3 small cameras and accessories I have
come across, the numbering sequence all seem to begin at 1000.
-
The self
timer LED on the NASA modified doesn’t appear on the body but
instead appears on the drive itself, just to the lower right
of the lens
This modification in particular was considered the -303 mod and
cameras that were equipped with it have the -303 appended to the
Part Number engraving
•The NASA modified has no neckstrap eyelets
The reason being is that neckstraps are not used in a zero Gravity
environment.
•A multi
pin outlet for a remote device such as an intervalometer, is
found on the lower right hand side of the frontof the NASA modified.
A Bendix metal cap/plug with a tether covers the electronics to keep
a tight seal and prevent any dirt from getting inside
The base of the NASA modified F3 small camera will often have a grooved
plate installed.
Like an Arca Swiss type of mount, I suspect this was used on a quick
release mounting system, such as on an EVA bracket or various fixed
mounts on the spacecraft.
There is also a standard tripod thread in the plate
-
The F3 small
camera and some of its accessories, like data backs, body and lens
caps, usually have velcro tabs attached.
Back in the 80s and early 90s when the F3s were the main cameras,
pretty well all the velcro tabs were blue. Today, the velcro used
consists of 3 primary colours: Blue is found on most hardware used
in the main cabin. Yellow is also found in the cabin but is gear preferred
by the crew and EVA gear usually has white velcro.
-
The main purpose
of the velcro is to hold the camera or accessory on a panel or attached
point in zero Gravity.
-
-
The NASA modified
has no leatherette skin that is normally found on the consumer
F3.
Instead the body is completely matte black. The leatherette material
was removed because of issues with out-gassing of materials such as
plastic and glue.
Out gassing is a very important issue in a closed vehicle or on an
EVA where out-gassing can get on delicate objects.
-
The focusing
screen is divided into 4 equal quadrants with a center weighted area-sized
circle in the center and a smaller focusing circle in the middle of
that. This centre circle has a diagonal split screen. The rest is
clear.
-
The NASA
modified has Nikon engraved on the rear to the left
of the finder. Consumer F3s are to the right, followed by the Nikon
serial number.
-
The NASA
modified Motor Drive has a counter in the center that, like
the modified counter on the camera top, numbers to 72 exposures.
A large circular dial beneath the counter allowed control setting
of the number of bursts the drive should perform
-
The rear
of the Motor Drive usually features two 'cheat sheets' for certain
common tasks.
The first one related to camera settings for exposure
The second one related to film loading
•Some bodies were used as EVA units. This meant that they were
able to perform extra vehicular activities, meaning they could likely
be used outside the craft in the vacuum of space. Special internal
parts and/or adhesives/lubricants were built into those units to be
able to withstand extreme temperatures. These EVA modified models
would carry an EVA sticker on the rear. Others were designated AEC
cameras and were usually fixed at a window or the like and were mostly
set for Automatic Exposure Control (aperture priority), and very likely
with intervalometers. According to the NASA label on this body, this
particular one was an AEC camera
The Lens
This particular
lens, coupled with this camera is a NASA modified Nikon 35mm F1.4 AI-S
manual focus lens.
This lens featured
a number of modifications from the standard consumer model:
- The front lens cap is
metal and threaded to stay in place
Blue velcro was adhered to both the front and rear lens caps to ensure
that they would stay in place with zero Gravity.
The metal threaded lens cap is enfgraved with a NASA part and serial
number
The rear cap is plastic and carries a white 'N' inside
Although the
lens has an AI-S mount, the consumer version had a rubber focussing ring.
Like the camera body, adhesives and rubbers could cause outgassing issues,
so this modified lens has an all-metal design.
Numbers on the lens are much larger than the consumer counterparts - to
aid in use. The distance scale was also displayed in feet only, while
the consumer version had a feet/metre scale
The focussing
and aperture ring are both oversized. This is both to ease handling, particularly
with gloves, and also to provide sufficient thread depth (Note the four
large flat head screws on those rings) so that EVA rods could be inserted.
With rods inserted, astronauts could easier manipulate the camera settings
when fully suited up during a spacewalk
This lens also
carries various date stickers. I assume that these were inspection decals
of sorts, and were applied at regular intervals while back on Earth.
Common to all
NASA lenses that I have seen, which is a shame, are crude engravings of
numbers, alongside the pristine engravings from the factory which carry
the NASA part and serial numbers. According to one official, I learned
that the crude engravings were an additional inventory tracking number
used by NASA primarily at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX
CLICK
HERE to learn about my other NASA F3 Small Camera that flew on
the maiden voyage of Shuttle Endeavour
CLICK
HERE to learn about my NASA DCS460C Digital Camera used on the
1st and 2nd expeditions at the International Space Station
CLICK
HERE to learn about my NASA DCS460C Digital Camera
used on the 2nd and 3rd expeditions at the International Space Station.
This one captured the aftermath in New York City on 9/11
Research and Photo Credits:
Johnson Space Center, Houston TX
United Space Alliance
Space Center Houston
Nikkor
Club
Marco
Cavina
Erik Black
Peter Coeln - Westlicht
Photographica
© 2010/12 Timm J Chapman - www.onevisionphoto.com
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