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35 mm Camera System: The 35 mm system was the best method of documenting in-cabin operations, including habitability, experiments, malfunctions, inflight maintenance, etc. The system was also useful for some exterior photography (specifically EVA), but generally the Hasselbad was superior for exterior shots because of photo resolution. During the flight, 35 mm operations were trouble free except for one camera jam which occurred while EVA and which was readily cleared by the EVA crewman.

70 mm Camera System: The 70 mm system was excellent for all out-the-window photography opportunities. The system was relatively simple, compact, and except for one jam (due to a 100 mm lens), extremely reliable. STS 41-C carried ten 70 mm magazines, seven of which were used by day 4. This caused the crew to start of 70 mm film conservation effort for the rest of the flight. The number of 70 mm magazines carried on each Shuttle mission should be increased to at least fifteen per flight (R).

16 mm Camera System: Several problems occurred during flight with the 16 mm camera system. Two out of the four large (400 ft) magazines experienced jams and another could only be partially used. One 16 mm camera tended to destroy the film perforations and was subsequently marked and put in stowage. The previously mentioned problems caused the loss of almost all of the day 3 16 mm filming efforts which included the initial attempts of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) docking with the Solar Maximum Satellite. The 16 mm system is hard to focus and it was difficult to obtain and select the right f stop/film speed for a particular light setting. This caused the system to be awkward to use and the quality of any film taken to be questionable.

Because of the problems in the current 16 mm camera system due to reliability, complexity, and general usefulness, the Shuttle Program should obtain a simple, reliable 16 mm camera system for use in space (R).

The Linoff Camera System: The Linhoff camera appeared to be excellent for taking earth-oriented pictures. The camera's lens focal lengths precluded obtaining pictures closer than approximately 100 feet from the camera.

The system was simple to operate and the handles with the thumb-trigger switch provided good balance and ease of handling. One excellent feature was wiring the shutter switch through the vacuum pump so pictures could not be taken unless the pump was operating.

A couple of other features could be added to the camera to enhance its usability from a crew standpoint.

1. Improve the sighting of a camera. It was difficult to ascertain if the camera was pointed at the proper features with the current top-mounted sight. In many instances the window edges blocked sighting, but did not obscure the camera lens' view. For large area views, the current sighting was acceptable, but if precise sighting accuracy was necessary, the current system was lacking (R).

2 Several pictures were taken with the darkslide installed (usually after a lens or magazine change). The system should be precluded from operating with the darkslide installed (R).