Few adventures in human history have been as photogenic as the nine Apollo missions that landed on the Moon. This gallery presents scans of iconic images as well as less well-known ones from these missions: cinematic spacecraft interiors; dust criss-crossing surfaces on which astronauts were walking; tired astronauts wearing orderly white fatigues in front of grey instrument binnacles that looked part computer and part heavy bomber.
Metric Frames
NASA’s Apollo space program may be best known for putting humans on the Moon, but 14 separate missions took place over four decades to test technology and gather samples from space. Photographs taken during these ventures remain an enduring legacy; now more than 50 years later they can be experienced like never before with Andy Saunders’ Apollo Remastered book!
Saunders enhanced the original images – scans of 35,000 originals stored in Houston – using various techniques, such as Photoshop to remove dust spots and correct color – furthering his artistic process of image enhancement.
Most Apollo photographs were captured using high-end Hasselblad cameras – or “medium format” cameras – which used larger frames than traditional 35mm cameras and produced incredible amounts of detail, enabling astronauts to see their environments with clarity and scale.
Astronauts provided us with a special look into Earth and its place in space, providing them with an extraordinary vantage point of her beauty and her place within it. Their photographs of an inky blackness of space against our delicate blue and white planet, punctuated with its barren moonscape have become iconic images from this era.
One of the astronauts’ primary responsibilities on the lunar surface was documenting its journey with pictures taken during their Apollo lander flights – from equipment they used and landscapes seen to taking over 30,000 pictures which have since been published on this website by National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The top photo, taken during Apollo 16’s 1972 mission, shows astronaut Charles M. Duke collecting rock samples at Descartes landing site – this marked their inaugural extravehicular activity, or EVA, under Commander Neil A. Armstrong.
Gene Cernan captured this early EVA-1 image at Station 1 in Taurus Littrow Valley near Steno crater during EVA-1 of Apollo 11 mission, where they attempted to collect samples of ejecta from inside of Steno for analysis of composition. Harrison Schmitt is standing near their Lunar Rake that collected fragments larger than 1 cm sized fragments for further collection during another pass around Station 1. It’s covered with dust from their previous pass around it!
Panoramic Frames
Panoramic frames make a striking backdrop for panoramic art, photography and wide-format graphics. Their elegant sophistication adds sophistication and elegance to any space; at the same time they provide individuals with the chance to experiment with unconventional framing arrangements and communicate meaningful narratives visually. By integrating wide-angle display enclosures with interior design elements like furniture, color schemes and lighting fixtures they can create spaces that express their personal styles and experiences.
From breathtaking mountain range sunsets and seascapes to serene beach vistas, panorama frames are an effective way to highlight the grandeur of landscape photographs. Not only can these large wall displays serve as focal points in rooms that need something bold to stand out, they can also help transform blank walls into dynamic storytelling spaces.
When selecting a frame, consider its materials, sizes, and colors to best match the existing decor. Wooden frames offer warmth while metal or acrylic frames create a sleek modern aesthetic. When selecting an acid-free mat to protect photos or photographs against damage from light sources and enhance them as art or photographs on display are acid-free mats can also help improve them! Additionally, make sure your panoramic display does not face direct sunlight for extended periods as this may cause sun fading over time.
Panoramic framing is an essential element of mounting commercial prints of city skylines, sports stadiums, aerial photography or wide-format landscape photographs. These ready-to-hang enclosures allow you to cut costs for custom framing while protecting oversize graphics from UV damage and dust accumulation – plus adding an eye-catching branding element in reception areas and lobbies!
The Apollo Archive
As iconic as the Apollo missions are, many of us remain unfamiliar with the handheld images taken by their astronauts during each mission. A joint project from Johnson Space Center and Arizona State University’s Space Exploration Resources is digitizing those original flight films using photogrammetric cameras that capture intricate geometric and radiometric details accurately. This archive can then be browsed or downloaded.
Images produced from this project can be easily browsed, scrolled and zoomed within any web browser, while users can also download various formats of the images – including both metric and panoramic frames from Mercury Gemini Apollo missions as well as handhelds from handhelds from earlier missions like Apollo 14. Anyone may use these images freely but must credit and cite any work inspired or created from using Apollo images.
Maura White is one of the image archivists at NASA Johnson who works on this project. She notes that scanning one roll of film only takes a couple days; she hopes the archive will make historical images easier to access, inspiring creative uses for them in people’s everyday lives.
Images don’t always capture life perfectly in focus and framing may sometimes be off, but that doesn’t diminish their importance – like family snapshots they should document moments that bring excitement and adventure.
While creating videos or Insta-versions of historic moments might not seem like the most obvious use for photos taken at NASA events, the agency appears satisfied with how these photos are being utilized as part of an effort to keep space exploration alive.
Kipp Teague created this Flickr gallery featuring over 8,400 high-res photos from Apollo missions taken during their explorations of the Moon. He describes it as an archive that “re-presents NASA-provided Apollo mission imagery in its raw, high-resolution and unprocessed state, along with processed images from film magazines to fill in any gaps.”