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Apollo Lens Brush

Copyright © 2007 by the Editors of Working on the Moon.
Last revised 3 September 2007.

Apollo 13 Lens Brush

NASA Image S70-32726 is a pre-flight photo of the Lens Brush flown on Apollo 13.
Scan courtesy NASA Johnson.  (Click on the iamge for a larger version.)



Lens Brush Descprition

Description of the Lens Brush
from NASA's Handbook of Pilot Operational Equipment.
Scan courtesy Ulli Lotzmann.


The lens brush was first flown on Apollo 13 and first used on Apollo 14.

The following comes from the early stage of Apollo 15 EVA-2:

142:51:19 Scott: There. Get the lens brush out. Try to take care of those lens. (Pause) Hey, that works pretty good.

142:51:31 Irwin: Work good?

142:51:32 Scott: Man, does it ever. Bright and shiny.

The following is from the Apollo 15 Technical Debrief:
[Scott, from the 1971 Technical Debrief - "We used the lens brushes on the cameras, and they were very good."]

[Irwin, from the 1971 Technical Debrief - "On the TV, also."]

[Scott, from the 1971 Technical Debrief - "On the TV also. That lens brush is really a good brush. It cleaned it off very well. The (large) dust brush to clean off the suits seemed to work pretty good. It got the gross dirt off. It didn't get everything. I guess it also worked quite well on the LRV and the LCRU mirrors. (It) cleaned them off pretty well."]

[Scott, from a 1996 letter - "'Lens brush' and 'dust brush' are specific nomenclature to identify the different brushes."]


The following Table contains all references in the Mission Transcripts, Mission Reports, and Technical Debriefings to the Lens Brush and it's use.



Mission

Phase or Activity

Time, Image, or Source

Notes
Apollo 14
 EVA-2 close-out
 135:24:38
 Al Shepard cleans the TV lens after catching the cable with his foot and toppling the camera.
Apollo 14
 EVA-2 MET loading
 131:24:57
 Al Shepard uses the brush to clean the traverse map after dropping it.
Apollo 14
EVA-2 MET loading
 131:29:56
 Al Shepard uses the brush again possibly to clean the 16-mm DAC (DATA Acquisition Camera)
Apollo 14
Mission Report Page 9-9
 "The little dust that accumulated on the modular equipment transporter could easily be removed by brushing. The lunar map collected dust and required brushing or rubbing with a glove to make the map useable."




Apollo 15
 EVA-1 ALSEP deployment
 124:32:29
 After Dave Scott parks at the ALSEP deployment site and turns on the TV, we see that the lens is dusty.  During the 1991 mission review for the ALSJ, Dave commented that Houston should have told the crew to dust the lens.  That won't happen until they reach Station 6, their first EVA-2 geology stop.
Apollo 15
 EVA-3 close-out
 167:26:33
 Joe Allen tells Dave Scott to take both the large dust brush and the lens brush to the VIP site.  The TV camera is getting hot and they hope that brushing the radiator and lens will help.
Apollo 15
 Station 1 at Elbow Crater
 122:16:23
 When Ed Fendell pans the TV camera up-Sun, the view degrades because of light scattered off dust on the lens.  During the 1991 mission review, Dave Scott commented that a lens cap might have been appropriate.  While reviewing the TV at 122:26:09, he again commented that Houston should have had them dust the lens.
Apollo 15
 EVA-2 traverse preparations
 142:51:19
 Dave uses the lens brush to clean the Hasselblad lens: "Hey, that works pretty good ... Bright and shiny."  They had not brushed the lenses during EVA-1.  The A16 and A17 crews will check their lenses regularly.
Apollo 15
 EVA-3 traverse preparations
 164:02:07
 Dave and Jim clean each other's Hasselblad lens.
Apollo 15
 Technical Debrief extract
 160:25:00
 Mention of using the lens brush on the cameras and the TV.  Dave said," That lens brush is really a good brush.  It cleaned (the TV) off very well."
Apollo 15
 Station 9a at Hadley Rille
 165:20:46
 Joe Allen requests that they dust the TV lens.  We see Dave in the TV record doing the dusting.  There was considerable dust on the lens at Station 9, as can be seen in the TV record at 165:03:09.
Apollo 15
 Station 7 at Spur Crater
 145:32:05
 Jim cleaned the TV lens at Station 6 and, since then they have driven only 400-500 meters at low speed.  There doesn't appear to be much dust on the lens.
Apollo 15
 Station 2
 122:41:58
 While he and Jim examining the Station 2 boulder, Dave suggests that, "We ought to check the dust on the lens of these cameras."  Theydon't do so at this time.  At 122:46:50 Dave asks Jim, "Is my (Hasselblad) lens too dirty to use?"  Jim replies, "I don't see any dust on it at all."  At 123:16:17, Jim is about to take a second pan and wonders if there is a lot of dust on his lens.  Dave replied, "Didn't look bad, Jim.  I just looked at it."  They are becoming conscious of the need to examine the camera lenses.
Apollo 15
 Station 6
 143:55:47
 Shortly after Dave and Jim arrive at Station 6, Joe asks them to dust the TV lens but then defers the request.  He will repeat the request until 144:41:42
Jim will dust both the TV and LCRU at 144:48:14 just before they leave Station 6.  After checking with Dave, he uses the big dust brush to clean the LCRU and, after checking again with Dave, uses the lens brush on the TV.  Fendell gets TV of both.   Jim does the TV lens cleaning at about 144:49:43.  The improvement in picture quality is significant.


















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