General Electric, Missile & Space Division Search this
Materials:
Overall--metal, wire, plastic
Dimensions:
Overall: 1 1/2 in. high x 2 in. wide x 10 in. long (3.8 x 5.1 x 25.4cm)
Type:
SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed-Instruments & Payloads
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Summary:
This electromechanical "clock", made by General Electric, was used in the film return capsules of Corona photoreconnaissance satellites. Corona, a joint U.S. Air Force/Central Intelligence Agency project, successfully launched over 120 satellites from 1960-1972 that provided imagery of the Soviet Union and other nations. The timer controlled the sequence of events - e.g., jettisoning of the thrust cone cover or parachute deployment - during the reentry and recovery of the film return capsule. This timer was flown on two missions and donated by Robert Andrews to NASM in 1998.
