Class I flight Kodak DCS 760 Camera

Only about 30-40 of these Space Cameras were produced for NASA

Built as a Class I flight Kodak DCS 760 camera NASA part #SEZ33113001-301 serial no. 1031 for use on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. The camera bears a black NASA parts decal identifying this camera as a -301, likely an indication this camera was for Intra Vehicular Activity (IVA) use only. While many of DCS 760's were modified for Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) use, a small number including this one were not.

This Kodak DCS 760 camera is largely an off the shelf camera. It was a successor to the Kodak DCS 660 which flew on several flights and is among the rarest NASA flown camera models. Twenty two F5 Camera Bodies were returned to Nikon so that the internal lubricant could be replaced. A special NASA certified Braycote lubricant needed for use on EVA’s and modifications to the meta data embedded in the image were changes required by NASA. Kodak DCS cameras certified for EVA's had the decal changed to white and the dash number changed to -302.

The Kodak serial no. is K760C-01123. The camera includes three pieces of velcro. Two pieces on the side of the body, and one on the bottom for use in zero gravity. Blue velcro is generaly used for IVA cameras. Additional labels include a “Not For Flight” decal, a short piece of grey tape with no visible writing, a white metal decal with no printing, an inventory label indicating it was inventoried in 2006, a MIC label indicating placement of the internal microphone, and a label for DC Imput AC power adapter. A stainless steel camera bracket, normally part of the modifications to flight cameras, has been removed by NASA at some point.

The Kodak lead engineer on the DCS 760 code provided the following:

...There were only a few firmware mods for NASA.

...760 - flashToggle property - When enabled, the flash Compensation value toggled between 0 and -12 on alternate captures.

...760 - userAutoOk property - When set, automatically OK's error dialogs so cameras out of reach wouldn't get stuck. There was a 760 in the umbilical well on the bottom of the orbiter, to image the external tank after launch. And one was used handheld on EVAs and attached to the robot arm, for inspecting any suspected tile damage not visible from the cabin. In both cases, they couldn't push buttons or see the LCD.

...NASA purchased about 30-40 DCS 760 cameras.

Included with the camera is the Kodak Hand Strap and Nikon Body Cap. The camera body is functional with the addition of a battery, and compact flash card not included. The current image count is at 1937. There is no flight history for this camera. It’s not known if it was ever flown. Camera was purchased as NASA surplus.