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Lot 233
[Apollo 11] 'FANTASTIC' ORBITAL SUNRISE OVER EARTH BEFORE TRANSLUNAR INJECTION Michael Collins, 16-24 July 1969
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €1,408 inc. premium
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[Apollo 11] 'FANTASTIC' ORBITAL SUNRISE OVER EARTH BEFORE TRANSLUNAR INJECTION
Michael Collins, 16-24 July 1969
Printed 1969.
Vintage chromogenic print on early resin coated Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-36-5293].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
Orbital Sunrise—Apollo 11's First Moments in Space
This breathtaking photograph, captured by Michael Collins during Apollo 11's early moments in Earth orbit, reveals the dazzling spectacle of orbital sunrise as seen from space. The view left Collins, a veteran astronaut from Gemini X, in awe: "Jesus Christ, look at that horizon! [...] God damn, that's pretty! This is unreal. I'd forgotten. [...] Fantastic."
As the spacecraft emerged from Earth's nightside, the crew scrambled to capture the moment before firing the Saturn V third stage for translunar injection. In the zero-gravity environment, Collins momentarily lost track of the Hasselblad camera. After a frantic search, he finally retrieved it and immortalized this stunning view—looking east into the Sun, with light reflecting off the cloud-speckled Pacific Ocean below.
"This rare and awe-inspiring image serves as a reminder of the profound beauty of Earth from space—seen through the eyes of the first humans on their way to another world's surface."
Printed 1969.
Vintage chromogenic print on early resin coated Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-36-5293].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
Orbital Sunrise—Apollo 11's First Moments in Space
This breathtaking photograph, captured by Michael Collins during Apollo 11's early moments in Earth orbit, reveals the dazzling spectacle of orbital sunrise as seen from space. The view left Collins, a veteran astronaut from Gemini X, in awe: "Jesus Christ, look at that horizon! [...] God damn, that's pretty! This is unreal. I'd forgotten. [...] Fantastic."
As the spacecraft emerged from Earth's nightside, the crew scrambled to capture the moment before firing the Saturn V third stage for translunar injection. In the zero-gravity environment, Collins momentarily lost track of the Hasselblad camera. After a frantic search, he finally retrieved it and immortalized this stunning view—looking east into the Sun, with light reflecting off the cloud-speckled Pacific Ocean below.
"This rare and awe-inspiring image serves as a reminder of the profound beauty of Earth from space—seen through the eyes of the first humans on their way to another world's surface."
Footnotes
From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken:
001:18:04 Collins: Stand by for sunrise. [...]
001:19:57 Collins: Jesus Christ, look at that horizon!
001:19:59 Armstrong: Isn't that something?
001:20:00 Collins: God damn, that's pretty! This is unreal. I'd forgotten.
001:20:08 Armstrong: Get a picture of that.
001:20:10 Collins: Ooh, sure, I will. I've lost a Hasselblad. Has anybody seen a Hasselblad floating by? It couldn't have gone very far, big son of a gun like that. [...]
001:22:13 Collins: I've looked everywhere over here for that Hasselblad, and I just don't see it.
001:22:24 Armstrong: It's too late for sunrise, anyway. [...]
001:22:28 Aldrin: But you want to get it before TLI. [Translunar Injection]
001:22:30 Collins: ...I know it. That's what I'm worried about. [...]
001:23:24 Collins: Ah! Here it is (the Hasselblad). [...]
001:24:17 Collins: I got a little horizon. Man, look at that! [...]
001:24:51 Collins: Fantastic. I have no conception of where we're pointed or which way we are or a crapping thing, but it's a beautiful low-pressure cell out here.
001:25:10 Aldrin: Yes, go ahead and take a picture.