Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Surveyor Program Ground Test Equipment made by Marshall Laboratories of Torrance, California, with a removable cover that unlatches to reveal the impressive inner control panel, marked as “Single Axis Seismometer, Bench Checkout Equipment, Model ML248-1.”
The Surveyor program was a series of robotic spacecraft missions conducted by NASA between 1966 and 1968, with the goal of soft-landing spacecraft on the Moon to gather data about its surface and conditions in preparation for the Apollo manned missions. One of the scientific instruments carried by some Surveyor spacecraft was a seismometer, which was used to detect and record lunar seismic activity, such as moonquakes, as well as the impact of the Surveyor's own landing on the Moon's surface. To ensure the accuracy and functionality of these seismometers, NASA would have used specialized ground support equipment for testing, calibration, and verification.
