This 512 by 512 charge coupled device (CCD), SITE Model SI502AB, is typical of those used in space flight applications and in high-end and experimental light detectors in the 1980's. CCDs are two-dimensional arrays of large numbers of tiny silicon diodes that convert photons directly to electrical signals which are then processed digitally to produce images. This CCD therefore has over 260,000 elements in an area of 1/4 square inches, which is small by today's standard.
This example was manufactured by Scientific Imaging Technologies Inc. and donated by them to NASM in 2000.
Gift of Scientific Imaging Technologies Inc.