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Lot 276
[Apollo 11] FOOTPRINTS SURROUNDING THE U.S. FLAG AT TRANQUILLITY BASE: rare unpublished photograph from B&W magazine 39/Q Buzz Aldrin, 16-24 July 1969
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €358.40 inc. premium
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[Apollo 11] FOOTPRINTS SURROUNDING THE U.S. FLAG AT TRANQUILLITY BASE: rare unpublished photograph from B&W magazine 39/Q
Buzz Aldrin, 16-24 July 1969
Printed 1969.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image AS11-39-5802].
Numbered "AS11-39-5802" in the right margin (issued by NASA / United States Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
A final unpublished glimpse of Tranquillity Base before departure.
This historic Apollo 11 photograph was captured from the Lunar Module Eagle's window just moments before liftoff, using the Hasselblad IVA 500 EL camera with an 80mm lens and B&W magazine 39/Q. Frames from this magazine—used exclusively inside the LM while on the lunar surface—were not released by NASA after the mission, despite preserving some of the final images from humanity's first exploration of another world.
The American flag stands alone in the vast, silent expanse of Tranquillity Base, surrounded by the first human footprints ever made on another celestial body. The shadow of the LM structure frames the lower part of the image, while the well-defined bootprints of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin crisscross the fine lunar dust—a silent testament to the steps of discovery, scientific exploration, and humankind's first extraterrestrial journey.
Printed 1969.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image AS11-39-5802].
Numbered "AS11-39-5802" in the right margin (issued by NASA / United States Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
A final unpublished glimpse of Tranquillity Base before departure.
This historic Apollo 11 photograph was captured from the Lunar Module Eagle's window just moments before liftoff, using the Hasselblad IVA 500 EL camera with an 80mm lens and B&W magazine 39/Q. Frames from this magazine—used exclusively inside the LM while on the lunar surface—were not released by NASA after the mission, despite preserving some of the final images from humanity's first exploration of another world.
The American flag stands alone in the vast, silent expanse of Tranquillity Base, surrounded by the first human footprints ever made on another celestial body. The shadow of the LM structure frames the lower part of the image, while the well-defined bootprints of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin crisscross the fine lunar dust—a silent testament to the steps of discovery, scientific exploration, and humankind's first extraterrestrial journey.
Footnotes
The American flag, firmly planted in the lunar regolith, had become an enduring symbol of Apollo 11's achievement. Yet, as the astronauts prepared to depart, there was uncertainty about whether the powerful exhaust from the ascent stage engine would leave it standing.
"Distances on the lunar surface are deceiving. A large boulder field located north of the LM did not appear to be too far away when viewed from the cockpit. However, on the surface we did not come close to this field, although we traversed about 100 feet toward it. The flag, the television camera, and the experiments, although deployed a reasonable distance away from the LM and deployed according to plan, appeared to be immediately outside the window when viewed from the LM cockpit."
Apollo 11 crew observations (NASA SP-214, p. 38)