Unseen Apollo

[AdamSmith]

Beautiful never-before-published in-flight photographs from the Apollo missions.

 

http://time.com/unseen-apollo/

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

 

Apollo XV almost came to ruin the second it touched down. NASA had strict rules about how sharp an angle was safe for a LEM landing, and a 15-degree slope was the absolute maximum. Any steeper and liftoff could be compromised. The moon’s Hadley-Apennine region was treacherous, however, and the 10-degree incline of the landing spot was the best the crew was able to find. NASA was happy to release images of the Apollo XV LEM photographed from the front, but profile shots were kept under wraps.

[AdamSmith]

 

On the last three landing missions, the country that led the world in the manufacture of cars also sent them to the moon. The lunar rovers never traveled faster than about 11 mph (18 km/h) though in the moon’s 1/6th gravity, that provided what felt like a light, speedy ride. Here, Apollo XVI’s John Young leans seemingly jauntily against his ride, with the overexposed top half of the image creating the overall effect of a casual vacation shot snapped during an off-road trip in the desert southwest—minus the can of beer that really ought to be perched on the fender.

[AdamSmith]

 

The 12 men who walked on the moon had to reckon with a problem no photographers in history ever had before: how to manage sunlight that streams straight to the camera with no intervening atmosphere to soften and color it. Not every attempt was a success, as this shot by Apollo XII’s Pete Conrad shows. But there’s more to the image than the giant sunburst. There’s also a sense of the hard work that the lunar missions required, as Al Bean lugs scientific equipment into the field for placement on the surface.

[AdamSmith]

 

There aren’t a lot of straight lines on the tumbledown surface of the moon—or at least there weren’t until humans arrived. Apollo 17—like Apollos XV and XVI—left tire tracks nearly everywhere they traveled. In the windless, rainless, erosion-free environment, the tracks endure, close to half a century on. This image, captured in a haunting black and white that was not at all in keeping with the kinds of images NASA liked to release, captures what a lonely business making those permanent marks could be.

[AdamSmith]

 

The last three Apollo missions visited hilly and even mountainous terrain that the first three didn’t dare try. The Apollo XVI crew visited the Descartes Highlands, where mountainous uplift exposed geology that was not available on the flatter plains. Long shadows and black-and-white film convey a sense of how far-ranging the field expeditions became.

[AdamSmith]

 

If there was one sight that could make an Apollo astronaut nervous, it was this. The Earth in this image from Apollo XI looks dauntingly far away and the lunar module—which appears to have been stapled together from sheet metal—seems barely up to the task of making the trip off the surface. In fact it was more than capable, and its lightweight design was one of the things that made it so flight-worthy. Only the top half of the lander—the silver section, here photographed from behind—would lift off from the moon. The bottom portion—the mostly gold colored struts and legs—would serve as a launch platform and remain behind.

[AdamSmith]

 

The gray-white moon had nothing on the riot of color that is the Earth, and the astronauts felt the pull of the home planet throughout their trip. The closer they came on their return journey, the more the Earth loomed. In a striking image taken by Apollo 17, almost the entirety of Africa is visible, with the southern portion of the continent at the bottom of the frame and the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert at the top.

[+ José Soplanucas]

I wish we could like a thread. I love every single picture here, thanks @AdamSmith !

[AdamSmith]

I wish we could like a thread. I love every single picture here, thanks @AdamSmith !

Aren't these great? Just stumbled across them randomly on Time this morning.

[+ José Soplanucas]

Aren't these great? Just stumbled across them randomly on Time this morning.

They are absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing. I love astronomy and space exploration, these pictures are quasi orgasmic.

[AdamSmith]

They are absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing. I love astronomy and space exploration, these pictures are quasi orgasmic.

Aha! A fellow astronomy porn hound.

 

My first scope, the Mayflower 60mm refractor (anonymous Internet pic, not my actual scope which is in its case in the basement)...

 

http://ccdastro.com/mayflower_60.jpg

 

Of course one click on the Sky & Telescope and Celestron sites respectively, and the resulting cookies will attract gorgeous telescope ads wherever you browse the Web...

 

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/

 

http://www.celestron.com/

[+ José Soplanucas]

Aha! A fellow astronomy porn hound.

 

My first scope, the Mayflower 60mm refractor (anonymous Internet pic, not my actual scope which is in its case in the basement)...

 

http://ccdastro.com/mayflower_60.jpg

 

Of course one click on the Sky & Telescope and Celestron sites respectively, and the resulting cookies will attract gorgeous telescope ads wherever you browse the Web...

 

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/

 

http://www.celestron.com/

 

I always wanted a telescope when I was a kid, but my parents were not able to afford it. Now, that I can but one if I want, I live in the city in a condo. A telescope is one of my retirement dreams, if my plans go well and I can retire to a mini farm in Corrientes, Argentina.

[AdamSmith]

I always wanted a telescope when I was a kid, but my parents were not able to afford it.

I mowed a lot of people's yards for more than one summer to afford that sucker. Motivation!

Now, that I can but one if I want, I live in the city in a condo. A telescope is one of my retirement dreams, if my plans go well and I can retire to a mini farm in Corrientes, Argentina.

THAT is the place for it!

[+ deej]

I hesitate to admit how much time I lost yesterday admiring those pictures when the website floated through Twitter.

[rvwnsd]

I'm going to be late to a meeting, but this is totally worth it. Thanks for posting!!!

[+ purplekow]

I was expecting Apollo the Greek God. As hot as that might have been, these photos give me hope for a future, if we do not destroy the planet before we figure out how to leave.

[big-n-tall]

I was expecting another Apollo also. Although, I don't think there isn't any part of him I haven't seen.

 

http://famewatcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/Apollo%2BPhoenix%2B%2Btorso.jpg