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Lot 18
[Apollo 11] BUZZ ALDRIN POSING FOR A 'TOURIST' PHOTOGRAPH AT THE FIRST SCIENTIFIC SITE ON THE MOON Neil Armstrong, 16-24 July 1969
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €1,088 inc. premium
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[Apollo 11] BUZZ ALDRIN POSING FOR A 'TOURIST' PHOTOGRAPH AT THE FIRST SCIENTIFIC SITE ON THE MOON
Neil Armstrong, 16-24 July 1969
Printed 1969.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-40-5947].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA / North American Rockwell Downey, California).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
A rare "tourist" moment on the Moon.
Neil Armstrong called out to Buzz Aldrin to capture this posed photograph while he was setting up the seismic experiment (see mission transcript). Aldrin, momentarily pausing his work at the scientific site, looks toward Armstrong.
He stands next to the Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE), working to level the instrument. The west-side solar array has just deployed automatically, while the east-side array remains folded.
Behind him, the Laser Ranging Retroreflector (LRRR) and the stereo close-up camera are visible. The TV camera and the LM Eagle are in the background.
This photograph, both candid and carefully directed, is a testament to humankind's first scientific exploration of another world.
Printed 1969.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-40-5947].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA / North American Rockwell Downey, California).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
A rare "tourist" moment on the Moon.
Neil Armstrong called out to Buzz Aldrin to capture this posed photograph while he was setting up the seismic experiment (see mission transcript). Aldrin, momentarily pausing his work at the scientific site, looks toward Armstrong.
He stands next to the Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE), working to level the instrument. The west-side solar array has just deployed automatically, while the east-side array remains folded.
Behind him, the Laser Ranging Retroreflector (LRRR) and the stereo close-up camera are visible. The TV camera and the LM Eagle are in the background.
This photograph, both candid and carefully directed, is a testament to humankind's first scientific exploration of another world.
Footnotes
From the mission transcript (photograph taken at T+111:06:20 after launch):
111:06:20 Armstrong: There you go. Good work; good show. Hey, whoa; stop, stop! Back up.
111:06:34 Aldrin: Houston, as I was facing the PSE (Passive Seismic Experiment), the right-hand solar array deployed automatically. The left-hand I had to manually (garbled) restraining bar at the far end. And all parts of the solar array are clear of the ground now.
Literature
National Geographic, December 1969, p. 742
LIFE, 8 August 1969, p. 25
Additional information
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