Mercury Spacecraft Attitude Rate Indicator manufactured by Honeywell, 8 x 4 x 5, with an affixed parts label on the top reading, “Indicator Attitude and Rate, Mfr Part No. JG282A5, Series A1, Serial No. J-2.” Stenciled white lettering also notes a manufacture date of January 1960. The unit has a single 19-pin input on the rear and three gauges on the front, for “Roll,” “Pitch,” and “Yaw.” Each needle is color-coded and corresponds with an indicator needle in the central visual display. In fine condition, with various marks and dings to the housing. This three-axis indicator system was mounted in the top center of the Mercury capsule’s console and fed by independent gyroscopic inputs (via transducers) to provide roll, pitch and yaw via needle deflection. The pitch needle was also used to indicate spacecraft standard orbit (posigrade) orientation or retro (grade) orientation. Collectively, the visual display enabled astronaut queuing of vehicle attitude as well as rate of change in attitude, informing (if necessary) manual entered reaction control system commands to the attitude control thrusters. Spacecraft hardware from early in the Mercury program is rarely offered, and with excellent visual appeal this is a piece of tremendous desirability.
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