Dr Klaus Schmitt
Well-known member
Now this is a really, really rare lens:
ZIKAR-1A, from the russian space defence program, to detect fired rockets aiming at the (then) USSR from about 45.000 km away, mounted at some camera system from a satellite in orbit around earth. It is a catadioptric system with two Beryllium mirrors, f1.2/100mm and some fluorite aux. lenses. Several such systems were successfully launched into space and were in operation several years long.
I have have the lens documents that came with it and it clearly states its name ZIKAR-1A, also here in this russian site this lens is mentioned: http://www.kik-sssr.ru/Main_Oko.htm
((google translated))
On September 19, 1972, the first space-520 experimental SPACECRAFT was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. On Board in addition to the control equipment and reset information were installed two types of BAO: television (MBT-A) and heat direction finding (105-A). The TV-type equipment was a two-chamber receiver with IR-vidicons Radian with a lens”Zikar-1A". One camera had a relatively wide angle of view (SPK) and the other narrow band (UPK). The field of vision of the CPC was inside the field of vision of the SPC. The TP-type equipment had one line of fifty sensitive elements scanning the field with the help of a swinging mirror. The total field of view was no more than 10 square degrees.((end))
From that and more data I found that it was designed for SWIR, 1.5 - 2.5 microns, I assumed that this lens would only useful for IR and possible visible light, but having it on my spectrometric UV-VIS-IR system surprisingly revealed that it could be used in UV down to 320nm!
ZIKAR-1A, from the russian space defence program, to detect fired rockets aiming at the (then) USSR from about 45.000 km away, mounted at some camera system from a satellite in orbit around earth. It is a catadioptric system with two Beryllium mirrors, f1.2/100mm and some fluorite aux. lenses. Several such systems were successfully launched into space and were in operation several years long.
![455_Zikar1_collage_1p.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Mm_ZULFWxew%2FYYZ3FoQ3XLI%2FAAAAAAAABV8%2Faml-jXxNRJ0ZmMbe31FyRgka1PZRmZ4hACLcBGAsYHQ%2Fs1024%2F455_Zikar1_collage_1p.jpg&hash=0d52eb555c83353022d569e51303d1da)
I have have the lens documents that came with it and it clearly states its name ZIKAR-1A, also here in this russian site this lens is mentioned: http://www.kik-sssr.ru/Main_Oko.htm
![Wink Wink](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.mflenses.com%2Fimages%2Fsmiles%2Ficon_wink.gif&hash=dbdbfeb7e20752c673264ae5954d1ec2)
((google translated))
On September 19, 1972, the first space-520 experimental SPACECRAFT was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. On Board in addition to the control equipment and reset information were installed two types of BAO: television (MBT-A) and heat direction finding (105-A). The TV-type equipment was a two-chamber receiver with IR-vidicons Radian with a lens”Zikar-1A". One camera had a relatively wide angle of view (SPK) and the other narrow band (UPK). The field of vision of the CPC was inside the field of vision of the SPC. The TP-type equipment had one line of fifty sensitive elements scanning the field with the help of a swinging mirror. The total field of view was no more than 10 square degrees.((end))
From that and more data I found that it was designed for SWIR, 1.5 - 2.5 microns, I assumed that this lens would only useful for IR and possible visible light, but having it on my spectrometric UV-VIS-IR system surprisingly revealed that it could be used in UV down to 320nm!
![455_ZIKAR1_trans_1_1a.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-GtTY_SkVFUI%2FYYZ5QmPHVYI%2FAAAAAAAABWE%2FtACZOZyJcwI2SePMco9_CivssEU7b-nYQCLcBGAsYHQ%2Fs644%2F455_ZIKAR1_trans_1_1a.jpg&hash=f5fd54c4eb349d06f72f08c9af5bffc0)