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Crewman Optical Alignment Sight (COAS) Training Unit
The COAS was a mission-essential piece of equipment used on both the Apollo CSM and the LM for rendezvous, docking, mid-course corrections, descent to and ascent from the lunar surface and re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. Most famously, the COAS was used to guide the Apollo 11 LM to and from the lunar surface. Acollimating instrument, it provided the mission commander with gross range cues and closing rate cues during the docking maneuver, with a fixed line-of-sight attitude reference image, which appears to be the same distance away as the target. Also, if the Inertial Measurement Unit used by the Apollo astronauts to navigate and determine their position was in error by more than 1.4 degrees, the on-board star tracks could not be used. As a backup system, the crew would utilize the COAS to realign the IMU's. The COAS was designed by Mel Burrett, of North American Rockwell, who had designed the "Heads-Up Display" or "HUD" for Bell Helicopter in 1954-1955. While the HUD was originally designed as a safety device for helicopters, it was later modified for use in fixed-wing military and civilian aircraft. In 1964, Burrett was involved in the conceptual design for the COAS. Wally Schirra requested that the COAS be developed and implemented for the Gemini program, but it was not finalized and put into use until the Apollo program. Burrett was on-call for each Apollo mission, should NASA need him regarding the use of the COAS. Fortunately, it worked flawlessly on each flight. The COAS is 9.5x6x4.3" and weighs 2.5 pounds. Powered by 28-volt direct current, it consists of a lamp with an intensity control, a reticule, a barrel shaped housing, a combiner and a power receptacle. The reticule has 10 degree vertical and horizontal gradations and an elevation scale of -10 degrees to +31.5 degrees. The COAS was normally mounted in the commander's station on the LM and CSM, but could be moved to aft flight deck window. This particular COAS was used for training and its minor faults bear testimony to use. It bears white numbers on the rear "41062-701-5" and "06359-07678KA". On the bottom white adjustment knob, the numbers "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", 9.5" are written in blue ink. While it was not used in flight, it is a very important Apollo-era artifact, nonetheless. We have never seen another offered for sale. Unique. Ex. The Burrett Family Collection. ImagesClick on thumbnails to see larger images: 
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