Lens, Wide Angle, Television Camera, Apollo

This wide angle lens is of the same type as the one used on the Westinghouse black and white television camera. It is similar to the one used to transmit images of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11. Stored in the Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) of the "Eagle" lunar module (LM), the camera was deployed by Armstrong before he climbed down the ladder of the LM and transmitted the historic "first step" back to Earth. After the astronauts were on the lunar surface, they placed the camera away from the LM to record their activities. The original camera is still on the Moon.

NASA transferred this camera to the Museum in 1972.