NASA 2-inch RCA Quad Video Recorder built into a heavy-duty 18 x 10 x 11 case with latched lid that bears a JSC Center Property label: “Loan/Lease Id. No. DS140503, Loaned/Leased From KSC, JSC Contact Cohn, Ext. 5212.” The robust recorder weighs approximately 62.5 pounds, and features grill vents to either side, one of which bears two ports, two buttons, and a spring-loaded retractable handle. Removing the lid reveals the interior mechanics and controls, which includes 2-inch wide RCA tape reels that use a magnetic head which spins in a direction perpendicular to the long axis of the tape. Together with the moving tape, this resulted in diagonal ‘tracks’ across the tape. The left reel cover is marked in felt tip, “9005342-523 new,” and a label identified as “Tape No. 13.” In fine, untested condition, with scattered marks and scuffs to case.
Quad video recording was the system used by all U.S. broadcast television stations for recording the highest quality video possible using the video standard at the time. The high speed of the recording resulted in very high recorded video quality. Most studio two-inch quad machines were very large, usually about six feet tall and eight feet wide. RCA built a ‘compact’ version of a quad recorder initially for the U.S. Military, with this recorder being a derivative of that design. Because of its relatively small size, these reels of tape could hold about 20 minutes of video. The exact use of this recorder remains unknown, but its NASA inter-facility loan tag suggests that it was likely used for ground support missions at the Kennedy Space Center.
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