298 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1961 



between the path of the camera and the path of the satellite ; however, 

 the image of the satellite does remain long enough within the field of 

 the camera to enable the operator to obtain a sequence of photographs 

 that define its path. 



The camera mount also incorporates an oscillating mechanism that 

 permits the operator to photograph alternately at different angular 

 velocities. Wlien the optimum combination of satellite image and 

 reference star field is required, the camera can be set to photograph 

 alternately at the angular velocity of the satellite and at the component 

 of sidereal motion along the path of the satellite. At the first of these 

 velocities the satellite image is stationary and well defined on the 

 frame, while the star images are trailed into lines about 1 mm. in 

 length. At the second velocity the star images are short and well 

 exposed, while the satellite image is trailed. 



Negotiations were now under way for awarding the contract for the 

 construction of the camera. While a number of firms were considered, 

 including Perkin-Elmer, who wanted to build the camera as well as 

 to fabricate the optics, the contract was given to the Boiler & Chivens 

 Co. of South Pasadena, Calif. A small machine manufactory 

 employing at that time probably 25 persons, the Boiler & Chivens 

 organization had in the past worked very successfully with Joseph 

 Nunn in the production of instruments designed by him. The con- 

 tract arrangements with Boiler & Chivens ^^ were completed on 

 October 4, 1956, exactly one year before Sputnik I was sent into 

 orbit. 



Manufacturing the optics on the East Coast and the mechanical 

 elements on the West Coast not only presented some difficult logistics 

 but also complicated the fabrication of the camera itself. There was 

 no opportunity of fitting the optics until after the corrector cell and 

 the mirror had been made and delivered to South Pasadena, at which 

 time, of course, the mechanical elements of the camera would be 

 virtually completed. This made it necessary for the work to be done 

 with extreme care so that there would be no last-minute delay because 

 parts did not fit. 



The optical components of the camera were extremely large and 

 complex ; in fact, the corrector cell optics were and still are the largest 

 aspheric refractor lenses ever built. While the problem of mounting 

 a 30-inch mirror had many times been solved for individual telescopes, 

 it had not been solved for the mass production of 12 cameras. The 



^2 This decision to award the contract to them was based in part on the possibility of 

 Nunn and Boiler & Chivens working closely together In the production of the camera, and 

 in part, of course, on the proved ability of the firm to turn out work of high quality and 

 on schedule. Whipple and Hynek, who had wide contacts throughout the rather special- 

 ized field of optical Instrumentation, were convinced through their dealings with Joseph 

 Nunn that Boiler & Chivens would be the best firm to manufacture the camera. 



