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Lot 327
[Apollo 13] THE DRAMATIC HIDDEN FACE OF THE MOON: seen from the crippled spacecraft during its tense slingshot manoeuvre Jack Swigert or Fred Haise, 11-17 April 1970
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €332.80 inc. premium
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[Apollo 13] THE DRAMATIC HIDDEN FACE OF THE MOON: seen from the crippled spacecraft during its tense slingshot manoeuvre
Jack Swigert or Fred Haise, 11-17 April 1970
Printed 1970.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA AS13-60-8659].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS13-60-8659" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.).
Historical context
Apollo 13's lunar pass—capturing the hidden face of the Moon.
The Apollo 13 crew may have been forced to cancel their landing, but their slingshot trajectory around the Moon provided a rare opportunity to capture some of the finest photographs ever taken of the lunar surface, while enduring extreme conditions in their "lifeboat" Lunar Module Aquarius.
Following the free-return trajectory, Apollo 13's altitude over the lunar far side was approximately 100 km (54 nautical miles) higher than that of other Apollo lunar missions. This increased altitude resulted in particularly striking images of the rugged, cratered terrain of the Moon's far side—a region forever hidden from Earth.
As they gazed upon the Moon from more than 240,000 nautical miles away from Earth, uncertain if they would ever return home, the Apollo 13 astronauts knew one thing for certain—they would not be landing on the lunar surface.
"We really didn't have anything to do in that pass, and we lost communication with the ground for a portion of that, behind the Moon. And our next manoeuvre coming up was after we passed around the Moon, plus two hours. And we were kind of ahead of the timeline in preparation for that manoeuvre. So, we really didn't have much to do except to look, and shoot pictures."
— Fred Haise (Chaikin, Voices, p. 146)
Printed 1970.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA AS13-60-8659].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS13-60-8659" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.).
Historical context
Apollo 13's lunar pass—capturing the hidden face of the Moon.
The Apollo 13 crew may have been forced to cancel their landing, but their slingshot trajectory around the Moon provided a rare opportunity to capture some of the finest photographs ever taken of the lunar surface, while enduring extreme conditions in their "lifeboat" Lunar Module Aquarius.
Following the free-return trajectory, Apollo 13's altitude over the lunar far side was approximately 100 km (54 nautical miles) higher than that of other Apollo lunar missions. This increased altitude resulted in particularly striking images of the rugged, cratered terrain of the Moon's far side—a region forever hidden from Earth.
As they gazed upon the Moon from more than 240,000 nautical miles away from Earth, uncertain if they would ever return home, the Apollo 13 astronauts knew one thing for certain—they would not be landing on the lunar surface.
"We really didn't have anything to do in that pass, and we lost communication with the ground for a portion of that, behind the Moon. And our next manoeuvre coming up was after we passed around the Moon, plus two hours. And we were kind of ahead of the timeline in preparation for that manoeuvre. So, we really didn't have much to do except to look, and shoot pictures."
— Fred Haise (Chaikin, Voices, p. 146)
Footnotes
The astronauts took this astonishing photograph using the Hasselblad 500 EL with a 250mm telephoto lens, looking southeast toward the vast lunar far side, Centred over Crater Tsiolkovsky. At 180 km in diameter, Tsiolkovsky is the most prominent feature on the Moon's far side. This image clearly reveals the stark contrast between the Moon's bright highlands and the darker, lava-flooded lowlands, offering a glimpse into the complex geology of Earth's celestial companion. Latitude/Longitude: 19.5° S / 129° E.
Watch more
CLICK HERE: HISTORIC NASA FILM APOLLO 13 "HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM" 34062