Recorder, Tape Recorder, Reentry Capsule, Datasphere

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.

View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Object Details

Manufacturer

Ampex

Summary

This is the tape recorder used in the Datasphere, the first instrumented package to be recovered from space by the United States. Launched by a U.S. Air Force Thor ballistic missile on 13 June 1958 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this recorder received and stored information such as temperatures, pressures, and stresses critical to progress in the nation's spaceflight programs. The Datasphere reached an altitude of over 200 miles, reentered the atmosphere at more than 10,000 miles an hour, and was recovered intact in the South Atlantic. Ampex made this recorder and the Air Force donated it to NASM in 1959,

Credit Line

Transferred from the United States Air Force

Inventory Number

A19590103000

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed-Instruments & Payloads

Materials

Aluminum

Steel

Lead

Copper

Nickel Plating

Plastic

Rubber

Polyurethane

Paint

Adhesive

Dimensions

Overall: 8 x 7 x 4in. (20.3 x 17.78 x 10.2cm)

Storage: 1ft x 8in. x 3 3/4in. (30.48 x 20.32 x 9.53cm)

Country of Origin

United States of America

See more items in

National Air and Space Museum Collection

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Metadata Usage

Not determined

Link to Original Record

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9a469176d-9959-4a64-ba7e-a5dc50512f6e

Record ID

nasm_A19590103000