# Apollo flashlights



## FredM (Jan 8, 2007)

I see in alot of the old space footage the Apollo era 'nauts using cool little lights. About 6P in size and really cool looking. Anyone have any info on the old space age lights?


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## sflate (Jan 8, 2007)

All I know is that they were brass - and for $2400 you could have owned the one used on Apollo 7.

Space Auction


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## BobVA (Jan 8, 2007)

Here's one at the Udvar-Hazy/Smithsonian aviation museum in Virginia:








ACR made a lot of lights for the military. Probably the most familiar was the Vietnam era "Firefly" aviation rescue strobes.

Love to mod this with a Cree 


Cheers,
Bob


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## Nyctophiliac (Jan 9, 2007)

Wow!

Excellent picture BobVA. That's the one they had in the Apollo 13 movie! I've always wanted to see one in a CU pic. You made my wish come true. Now all I have to do is save up $2400 to bid on one the next time they come up for auction. I wonder what the runtime was?





Be lucky...


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## BobVA (Jan 9, 2007)

Nyctophiliac said:


> Wow!
> 
> wonder what the runtime was?



The workmanship on it looked pretty spectacular, but I'm sure the performance would be laughable today. As I recall it had one of the classic, spherical globe screw-base "miniature" bulbs in it. It looked like it took two AA cells.

But, that said, my HDS-60 ain't been to the moon 

Cheers,
Bob


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## Nyctophiliac (Jan 10, 2007)

BobVA said:


> but I'm sure the performance would be laughable today.



Yeah, but I have always had a soft spot for the old yellow and dim penlights, and let's face it, in the command module or the LEM they aren't exactly going to want a lot of throw. I think a little gentle yellow illumination in space is rather reassuring. Also, I bet it had a phenominal runtime after all, my old penlights used to run for ages (Years?) with intermittant use.

Any body know what they use for CU illumination on the shuttle/Soyuz missions today, or the ISS for that matter?



Be lucky...


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## h_nu (Jan 10, 2007)

I'm wondering if they chose brass or an anti-spark alloy for the flashlight before they switched from oxygen atmosphere to air. I know it's a short filament and that helps but would a normal two post lamp filament handle the shock of acceleration or did they use special bulbs?


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## Nyctophiliac (Jan 29, 2007)

Not sure if they used oxygen or an air mixture for the flight itself, they stopped testing at pressure with pure oxygen after Apollo 1.

Incidentally, there is some great footage of the Apollo Astronauts playing with their torches in zero g in the movie/documentary 'For All Mankind'. In this they throw it from person to person and it spins through the air gracefully between them. Later on you see an Astronaut ( Jim Lovell I think) with a torch next to him, spinning slowly, It appears to have quite a good, bright, spotty beam (yellow 'natch!).

Check it out!


Be lucky...


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## joema (Jan 11, 2008)

Nyctophiliac said:


> Not sure if they used oxygen or an air mixture for the flight itself, they stopped testing at pressure with pure oxygen after Apollo 1...


During flight, Apollo vehicles used pure O2 at about 5 psi. The suits used pure O2 at about 3.8 psi. The shuttle and ISS use 20% oxygen 80% nitrogen at 14.7 psi.


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## Big_Ed (Jan 12, 2008)

Nyctophiliac, I think I read somewhere that NASA uses Photon Microlights, and US astronauts gave some as gifts to Russian Cosmonauts. I think that may be on LRI's website. I'm not sure what other lights they might use. I'd be interested in finding out as well.


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## Marduke (Jan 16, 2008)

Big_Ed said:


> Nyctophiliac, I think I read somewhere that NASA uses Photon Microlights, and US astronauts gave some as gifts to Russian Cosmonauts. I think that may be on LRI's website. I'm not sure what other lights they might use. I'd be interested in finding out as well.



Currently, MiniMags Velcroed to their leg with a bit of reflective tape.


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## kongfuchicken (Jan 19, 2008)

I read about those... they ran on silver oxide batteries and cost just about more than all my surefires put together to meet the (now laughable) specs.


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## Mark A. (Oct 7, 2008)

Well, check out the closing price for this one: http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws...viewitem=&item=260294789680&_trksid=p3907.m32

Mark A.


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## Illum (Oct 7, 2008)

pics
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2540707&postcount=15

note
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2552207&postcount=26

hmm....the light on Apollo XIII sold for $2,400? :faints:


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## souptree (Oct 7, 2008)

Wow!!! Talk about a Grail....


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## Guy's Dropper (Oct 21, 2008)

If the serial number is 1500, does that mean that there were more of them made?


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## RedLED (Nov 8, 2008)

I am wondering why he sold the flashlight he took to the moon? You think he would keep all of the items from the trip.


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