Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount Television Monitor, measuring 10˝ x 13.5˝ x 12˝, with a George C. Marshall Space Flight Center property tag on the reverse: "Apollo Telescope Mount Television Monitor…Contr. No. NAS8-19945…Mfd. by Conrac Corporation." The front features a porthole-style 6˝ diameter display with wheels for adjusting contrast, brightness, crosshair intensity, and crosshair position. The side bears a red-and-white "Delicate Instrument / Handle With Care" label. The internal screen appears cracked and corroded.
The Apollo Telescope Mount was a crewed solar observatory that was a part of Skylab, the first American space station, designed to study solar phenomena without the distortions and absorptions of Earth's atmosphere. To enable astronauts to operate with maximum efficiency and minimum fatigue, and to allow more versatility, a closed circuit TV system was designed for the ATM, consisting of five TV cameras, a sync generator, two video switches, and a pair of these closed circuit television monitors.
Accompanied by a printout of a document entitled 'The TV System for the Apollo Telescope Mount,' detailing the function and capabilities of the monitor: "The unit is capable of displaying the full resolution capability of the standard vidicon camera on a seven inch Thomas cathode ray tube (CRT). The raster is six inches square with the corners being lost over the edge of the seven inch CRT. This is of no consequence since the only scene being viewed is the circular sun…Electronic vertical and horizontal crosshairs are available to mark positions of events of special interest on the sun. Controls for these crosshairs are on the monitor front panel along with a crosshair intensity control. Because the monitor must operate in a man rated oxygen environment, special precautions were taken with the materials used. Materials or parts that would support combustion or inject toxic substances into the manned environment were not used. The faceplate of the CRT contains a bonded implosion panel to prevent accidental breakage of the tube faceplate. All controls are of sufficient diameter to be operated by an astronaut in a space suit."
