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[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych) NASA, 3 July 1969 image 1
[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych) NASA, 3 July 1969 image 2
[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych) NASA, 3 July 1969 image 3
[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych) NASA, 3 July 1969 image 4
[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych) NASA, 3 July 1969 image 5
[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych) NASA, 3 July 1969 image 6
[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych) NASA, 3 July 1969 image 7
Lot 230

[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych)
NASA, 3 July 1969

FOR ALL MANKIND: THE ARTISTIC LEGACY OF EARLY SPACE EXPLORATION: Victor Martin-Malburet Collection
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue Hoche

Sold for €588.80 inc. premium

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[Apollo 11] NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS AND BUZZ ALDRIN PREPARING FOR THE FIRST LUNAR SURFACE MISSION (triptych)

NASA, 3 July 1969

Printed 1969.

Three vintage gelatin silver prints on fibre-based paper [NASA images 69-H-1075, 69-H-1074, 69-H-1107].
With NASA captions numbered "69-H-1075", "69-H-1074", "69-H-1107" on the reverses (issued by NASA Kennedy Space Centre, Florida).

Each: 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)

Historical context
These three photographs capture the Apollo 11 crew—Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin—at NASA's Kennedy Space Center during suiting activities for a Countdown Demonstration Test. This crucial test, conducted inside their Apollo spacecraft, was a full rehearsal leading up to their historic Moon mission.
These images encapsulate the calm before the storm—meticulous, methodical preparations before humankind's most extraordinary journey, ensuring all life-support and communication systems function flawlessly.
The Apollo 11 mission was the culmination of years of engineering, testing, and training, and these photographs offer an intimate glimpse into the astronauts' final moments before they stepped into history.
"The entire environment in which we were working was a fishbowl, and everybody was working, and the press was extreme. It would've been impossible for us not to be aware that everybody was looking over your shoulder."
—Neil Armstrong (Chaikin, Voices, p.17).

Footnotes

In the first image, Neil Armstrong receives final adjustments to his communication headset while wearing his partially donned Apollo spacesuit.

The second photograph features Michael Collins, fully suited and resting in a reclining chair with his helmet sealed. Connected to a life-support system, he appears composed and focused as he awaits the next stage of preflight procedures.

The third image shows Buzz Aldrin in a similar relaxed yet attentive posture, wearing his flight gloves and communicating with the support team. His suit, like Collins's, is pressurized and tethered to external air-conditioning units to maintain comfort during the extended suiting process.

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