Space & Aerospace
Far-ultraviolet camera/spectrograph
The problem
Far-ultraviolet light does not reach the ground, so the hydrogen structure of space and of Earth's outer atmosphere was unobservable.
The innovation
An electrographic camera converting far-UV photons into electrons recorded directly on film.
How it worked
A photocathode emits electrons on UV impact; magnetic focusing directs them onto film, giving UV imaging without UV-transparent optics.
Why it mattered
Apollo 16 astronauts set it on the lunar surface in 1972; it returned the first images of Earth's geocorona from the Moon.
The legacy
Informed later UV space astronomy instruments.
Sources
US Patent 3,478,216
Primary recordApollo 16 lunar surface experiment records
Primary record
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