First-Hand:Recollections of the Hand Control for the Apollo Capsule

FOOTSTEPS: IEEE's Commemoration of Human Space Travel. Photo courtesy of NASA

Submitted by Russ Crum

I was working as a production engineer at Honeywell in Minneapolis at the time. The specific item designed at Honeywell and manufactured there was part of the hand control for the Apollo capsule. I do not recall whether we made the entire hand controller or not. The specific parts I was responsible for were rotary variable differential transformers (RVDT). I recall very well having discussions with the design folks over the design of the transformers. The design engineers had computed the number of windings based on the wire dimension. From my side our machines, even though they were very precision, were not capable of laying wire on a bobbin without a bit of spray. After a few test runs, we were finally able to reach a compromise and a product that worked correctly.

I don't recall the specific year for this. I worked there from 1962 through 1968. In the last few years I know I was involved in other projects so it would not have been then.


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