Vehicleborne Command Receiver Decoder built by Avco under contract with the NASA Lewis Research Center, measuring 4.5˝ x 4.5˝ x 3˝, with an Avco Electronics Division label on the front: "U.S. Command Receiver Decoder, Vehicleborne, Part No. 349203-15, Serial No. 9120043, Spec. Cont. Dwg. No. 55-01233-2, Contract No. NAS 3-8700." A General Dynamics Space Systems Division delivery order tag remains attached.
While the exact application of this receiver decoder is not known, such devices are often used in range safety applications in flight vehicles. If a missile or non-piloted aircraft is malfunctioning and a crash of the intact vehicle poses a risk to personnel and structures on the ground, a command to destroy the vehicle would be issued by the range safety officer. The command receiver, upon receipt of this message, decodes it and initiates the vehicle's destruction. The coding of the message is to avoid the risk of a malicious or unintentional 'destruct' command from terminating a normal flight.
