I have been back in the office this week, and there are still about 7000 Africa photos I have not seen yet. But meanwhile, there are a bunch of new space artifacts to distract me… =)
I have been looking for this for a while to fill out the command module instrument panel.
Heritage Description:
“Apollo Early Block I Training-Used Command Module Flight Director Attitude Indicator (FDAI).
This FDAI or “8 Ball” was used to define the relative position of the spacecraft in three-dimensional space. Originally designed to be three different panel instruments, the astronauts, many of whom were pilots, lobbied for an all-in-one device similar to the “artificial horizon” indicator in airplanes.
The metal tag on the side indicates that this was “MFG BY HONEYWELL FOR NAA /S & ID”. (This was the Space and Information Systems Division of North American Aviation.) The manufacturer part number is shown as “DJG204E3” and the manufacture date as “Jul 23, 1964”. Printed on the same side is the text: “Caution For Training Use Only”. A handwritten pencil note reads: “Pitch Out – 6-22-69? LQS”. Two red inspector stamps and the number “C29-2A52” are present.”
Built in 1964, the Apollo 1 astronauts may have trained with this FDAI before the tragic pad fire.
Update: just learned that the Space1 fellow below was the consigner of this artifact. “about that FDAI: Based on its markings, it must have been used in training. I had acquired it from an auction of Charlie Bell’s estate on April 29, 2000. (Charlie Bell was a NASA engineer at KSC.) Charlie Bell had lots of varied items, literally acres of test equipment, tools, ground support equipment, launch vehicle components (including a damaged Atlas missile on its carrier, several H-1 and J-2 engines), and many mostly unsorted Apollo artifacts, including some flown items. He got all of his stuff from NASA sales.”
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