Images like Earth emerging from space and the American flag perched atop its lunar surface are emblematic of Apollo program’s legacy; this book showcases some of the most popular images from manned missions.
Jeremy Saunders utilized modern photo restoration techniques when scanning and restoring the photographs in this book. For more information about his process please refer to his website.
The Moon Landing
Images of space exploration rarely get more iconic than that of Neil Armstrong standing atop the moon and speaking his immortal words: ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Millions watched on television while he spoke those words.
This astronaut’s expression conveys all the excitement and wonder he must have felt as the first human to step foot onto another world, while being framed by both his lander and the American flag in his hand.
This photo of Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin setting up their experiment on the moon is equally breathtaking at higher resolution. Indeed, it stands out amongst all Apollo program photos as one of its stand-out pictures. Aldrin seems to float nearer the ground than usual as he sets up his equipment while taking in all that surrounds him – it’s hard not to feel as if you are there yourself when looking through such an astounding perspective!
Eugene Cernan and Jack Schmitt working on their rover provide an intimate view of lunar surface. Visible is their rover labelled “LRV”, the descent module from which it arrived as well as dark paths resembling dried-up canals.
Some conspiracy theorists have pointed to this image of the moon and claimed it proves NASA staged all aspects of this event. According to them, shadows cast by two astronauts do not align perfectly – something only possible with multiple light sources present; yet this image was taken during daylight hours when sunlight was available.
People who still believe the hoax have also noted that crosshairs seen in many photos do not line up with objects in them, an effect seen across most photographs but which testing has revealed is due to light reflecting off objects and being obscured by crosshairs; when images are scanned or copied this effect becomes amplified.
The Quarantine Container
Apollo astronauts traveled with various scientific equipment designed to detect organic material on the moon and deploy simple sheets of aluminum foil that helped scientists on Earth better understand how its atmosphere filters electrically charged solar particles. Armstrong and Aldrin were photographed setting up their American flag alongside this piece of scientific gear.
This photo is an awe-inspiring one, not only because it marks the first time that human feet have touched the lunar surface but because it captures Aldrin’s expression. He seems to float as much as stand and you can sense his excitement at being in an unfamiliar place where he feels like an explorer rather than spaceman. His visor reflects sunlight as his arms hang loosely against the lander’s struts as though barely holding on for dear life.
Aldrin captured several photographs during his 2.5 hour mission on the moon’s surface and its inhabitants during that 2.5-hour span, including this iconic shot of himself posing with his Hasselblad camera – one of the most recognized images from Apollo missions and one that helped inspire James Lovelock’s concept of Gaia; that our Earth is living being that must be nurtured.
Once Aldrin and Armstrong had returned from their lunar adventure and boarded the Eagle, they discarded any items not necessary. These included the tube used to transport their flag, their television camera for sending footage home and tools they used for gathering moon rock and dust – creating what became known as their “toss zone”, located west of their landing site to prevent disturbing any possible artifacts buried under lunar surface.
Each mission left behind various memorials to the fallen astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts, such as this small sculpture by David Scott entitled Fallen Astronaut which stood next to a plaque listing 14 astronauts who had made the ultimate sacrifice during service to their nation. Alan Bean also left behind a golden olive branch on the dashboard of his Moon buggy as an homage to Clifton Collins Williams who died prior to flying on Apollo 12 due to an airplane accident prior to being scheduled.
The Moon Rover
An astronaut in space suit navigates a rover across the flat, gray lunar soil. Each time its wheels go over an obstacle, dust particles are kicked up into the air. Scientists have developed methods of keeping dust off astronaut space suits; one method employs special electrical charges that repel dust particles away. With its open design, using this rover is easy.
On the contrary, however, few places on Earth offer as easy driving conditions as the Moon. Its surface features an extremely thin atmosphere with just enough of a drag force to slow vehicles as they approach their destination. Because there were no GPS systems on the Moon for navigation purposes, measuring speed and direction relied upon measuring device using directional gyros and odometers for speed/direction measurements as well as measuring sunshadow against lunar module hatch for precise manual heading.
One of the great mysteries surrounding Apollo was why so few close-up photos were taken after landing. Now, however, thanks to LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), which has been orbiting the Moon since 2009, we can witness these rare images for ourselves.
LRO can capture high-resolution images of the lunar surface and even detect small amounts of water on it, providing scientists with invaluable information about how and why the Moon formed, while also uncovering unexpected surprises; for example, some lunar craters contain multiple layers of rocks suggesting it once existed much larger than its present size.
Another perplexity arises as to why the LRV’s front camera, designed to show an amazing live view of Odysseus’ final descent, remained power-down during Odysseus’ final approach. According to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), which produced EagleCam, this decision was taken to avoid potential technical issues during the landing process.
While many may argue about whether or not the Moon landings were real or fake, they clearly took an immense amount of work and dedication to achieve. Now more than ever we must push human space exploration in order to explore even further into our solar system.
The Lunar Surface
The surface of the moon is vast and varied, featuring rocks of light gray while others boast brown or even black hues due to different geological processes. Scientists have determined this range of hues as evidence of geological processes at work on its surface.
Astronauts traversed and photographed the lunar terrain, but they also made other contributions to science. For instance, their stereoscopic photographs brought new details into view such as dykes and terraces which helped us gain a better understanding of Earth’s evolution.
One of the most memorable images from Apollo missions is this iconic photo of astronaut Buzz Aldrin jubilantly bounding around on the surface of the moon. Aldrin’s actions expressed his excitement at being there while ground staff worried he may fall and damage his life support system.
This image from NASA’s Lunar Sample Atlas displays where Ranger 7 first made contact with the lunar surface during Apollo 14 mission. Bruce Crater can be seen in the foreground with Sinus Medii Mare plain in the background. This picture was captured using Lunar Orbiter 3 camera. It’s one of a series of lunar surface panoramas made available online by this initiative.
Lunar Orbiter mission photos include this shot of a lunar surface lava field near where Intrepid lunar module had landed. Commander Alan Shepard and Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell deployed an experiment package here.
Apollo 12 mission, conducted in the Ocean of Storms region, saw Commander Charles Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean spend eight hours exploring extravehicular activity on the lunar surface during extravehicular activity (EVA). Conrad captured this photo of Intrepid lunar module alongside Surveyor 3, an unmanned probe launched two years before any Apollo missions started.
The Lunar Orbiter V mission launched August 1, 1967 and took 174 lunar surface images over 69 orbits to aid NASA in selecting candidate Apollo landing sites and high-priority science sites on both the nearside and farside of the Moon. One such orbit provided this view of Surveyor 1 Lander with its solar panel array and flat panel for transmitting data back to Earth – we have one in our Museum collection!