Unpublished photographs of NASA's astronaut mission in space

NASA's Apollo program has marked history since the launch of its first-ever manned spacecraft on October 11, 1968. And now, almost 50 years later, "Apollo VII-XVII", a new book of teNeues , revives the drama of the 11 missions of the program. .

It includes a special preface by Apollo 7 astronaut, Walter Cunningham, and stunning photos taken by Apollo astronauts, many of whom were unpublished.

These important photos – such as "Earthrise", taken from the lunar orbit by astronaut Bill Anders, and an image capturing the world's 13 highest peaks in a single frame – did not just show us different ways of seeing the world and advanced our scientific knowledge. understanding, but also provided new perspectives in a new world of photography.

Photography for astronauts

The first Apollo missions astronauts are often hailed as explorers, scientists and heroes, but they are rarely described as some of the most remarkable photographers in history. The rigorous training program they undertook included photography, according to Cunningham.

"Photography is only one of the areas of activity that has seen amazing improvements over the last fifty years, thanks to space exploration," he writes in the book. "We trained with the Hasselblad camera for two years before our first launch on Apollo."

In order to ensure that astronauts were comfortable with the use of modified space cameras and that their eyes were accurately photographed, NASA encouraged them to bring the equipment when they personal trips. The agency also offered tutorials in places like Nevada and Arizona, where geological conditions were similar to those of the lunar surface.

NASA then dispatched an expert to Mission Control Centers to answer questions about photography.

"Space cameras"

NASA's focus on space photography has developed alongside the Apollo missions. The astronauts were responsible for the documentation of topographic and geological data, as well as the status of their spacecraft. But space missions required different types of cameras and lenses.

This is astronaut Walter Schirra, amateur photographer and one of the Project Mercury pilots (the first manned space program of NASA) who suggested that his own Hasselblad 500C camera seemed to meet the requirements of The NASA. His modified camera brought back some great images of his 1962 mission and led to a collaboration between NASA and Hasselblad that has continued for decades.

Other cameras used in the program include the Hasselblad Super Wide camera, which allowed for huge image coverage, and Nikon's 35mm Photomic FTn camera, modified to withstand extreme gravitational forces.

German lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss has also worked closely with NASA. Their collaboration has resulted in one of the highest speed camera lenses in the world.

Capture the Earth from space

Challenging conditions, such as operating in low gravity conditions in large space suits, have often hindered the ability of astronauts to take pictures. Clouds can also make photography difficult, since they typically cover about 55% of the Earth's surface.

Photo of the Earth taken during the Apollo 8 mission. Credit: Courtesy NASA photo archives (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

And while Cunningham was circling the Earth once every 90 minutes from Apollo 7, the probe was moving from night to day every 45 minutes, leaving few windows to take pictures.

"There was another management constraint for our mission that we followed perfectly," recalls Cunningham. "Do not take pictures of China." It was an easy-to-follow rule.In 11 days and many passages in China, we never saw the surface because of the cover cloud and smog in their atmosphere. "