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Lot 234
[Apollo 11] PLANET EARTH FLOATING IN THE VASTNESS OF SPACE HALFWAY TO THE MOON (large format) Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, or Michael Collins, 16-24 July 1969
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €5,376 inc. premium
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[Apollo 11] PLANET EARTH FLOATING IN THE VASTNESS OF SPACE HALFWAY TO THE MOON (large format)
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, or Michael Collins, 16-24 July 1969
Printed 1969.
Large format vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-36-5355, inverted].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA White Sands Test Facility, New Mexico).
28 x 35.6 cm. (11 x 14 in.)
Historical context
A fragile world in large format—Apollo 11's iconic view of Earth halfway to the Moon.
This breathtaking Apollo 11 photograph is one of the most widely reproduced images of Earth from the space program, embraced by the environmental movement as a powerful symbol of the planet's beauty and fragility. Captured with a 250mm telephoto lens, the image was later cropped by NASA to emphasize Earth's striking presence against the infinite blackness of space.
At the moment this photograph was taken, Apollo 11 was approximately 98,500 nautical miles (182,500 km) from Earth, offering the astronauts an awe-inspiring view of their home planet—described in the mission transcript simply as "fantastic."
"There is but one Earth, tiny and fragile, and one must be 100,000 miles away from it to fully appreciate one's good fortune in living in it. If I could use only one word to describe the Earth as seen from the Moon, I would ignore both its size and colour and search for a more elemental quality, that of fragility. The Earth appears 'fragile,' above all else. I don't know why but it does."
—Michael Collins (from his 1974 book Carrying the Fire)
Printed 1969.
Large format vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-36-5355, inverted].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA White Sands Test Facility, New Mexico).
28 x 35.6 cm. (11 x 14 in.)
Historical context
A fragile world in large format—Apollo 11's iconic view of Earth halfway to the Moon.
This breathtaking Apollo 11 photograph is one of the most widely reproduced images of Earth from the space program, embraced by the environmental movement as a powerful symbol of the planet's beauty and fragility. Captured with a 250mm telephoto lens, the image was later cropped by NASA to emphasize Earth's striking presence against the infinite blackness of space.
At the moment this photograph was taken, Apollo 11 was approximately 98,500 nautical miles (182,500 km) from Earth, offering the astronauts an awe-inspiring view of their home planet—described in the mission transcript simply as "fantastic."
"There is but one Earth, tiny and fragile, and one must be 100,000 miles away from it to fully appreciate one's good fortune in living in it. If I could use only one word to describe the Earth as seen from the Moon, I would ignore both its size and colour and search for a more elemental quality, that of fragility. The Earth appears 'fragile,' above all else. I don't know why but it does."
—Michael Collins (from his 1974 book Carrying the Fire)
Footnotes
From the mission transcript as the astronauts were gazing at the Earth (photograph taken at T+023:00:00 after launch):
023:22:00 Public Affairs Officer (Mission Control): This is Apollo Control at 23 hours, 22 minutes. Apollo 11's distance from Earth is 99,308 nautical miles [183,918 km]. Velocity, 5,411 feet per second [1,649 m/s]. The spacecraft weight, 96,361 pounds [43,709 kg].
Public Affairs Officer (Mission Control): A flight dynamics officer reports that, in terms of distance, Apollo 11 will reach the half-way mark at 25 hours, 0 minutes, 53 seconds. At that time the spacecraft will be 104,350 [nautical] miles [193,256 km] from both the Earth and the Moon. [...]
024:45:35 Collins: It's really a fantastic sight through that sextant. A minute ago, during that Auto manoeuvre, the reticle swept across the Mediterranean. You could see all of North Africa, absolutely clear; all of Portugal, Spain, southern France; all of Italy, absolutely clear. Just a beautiful sight.
024:45:54 McCandless (Mission Control): Roger. We all envy you the view up there.
Literature
LIFE, 11 August 1969; National Geographic, December 1969, pp. 778-779
Moon: Man's Greatest Adventure, Thomas, ed., p. 211