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[Apollo 14] THE GLEAMING PATH LEADING TO THE SUNLIT LM ANTARES Alan Shepard, 31 January - 9 February 1971, EVA 1 image 1
[Apollo 14] THE GLEAMING PATH LEADING TO THE SUNLIT LM ANTARES Alan Shepard, 31 January - 9 February 1971, EVA 1 image 2
[Apollo 14] THE GLEAMING PATH LEADING TO THE SUNLIT LM ANTARES Alan Shepard, 31 January - 9 February 1971, EVA 1 image 3
[Apollo 14] THE GLEAMING PATH LEADING TO THE SUNLIT LM ANTARES Alan Shepard, 31 January - 9 February 1971, EVA 1 image 4
[Apollo 14] THE GLEAMING PATH LEADING TO THE SUNLIT LM ANTARES Alan Shepard, 31 January - 9 February 1971, EVA 1 image 5
Lot 345

[Apollo 14] THE GLEAMING PATH LEADING TO THE SUNLIT LM ANTARES
Alan Shepard, 31 January - 9 February 1971, EVA 1

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

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[Apollo 14] THE GLEAMING PATH LEADING TO THE SUNLIT LM ANTARES

Alan Shepard, 31 January - 9 February 1971, EVA 1

Printed 1971.

Vintage chromogenic print on early resin coated Kodak paper [NASA image AS14-67-9367].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA).

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

Historical context
The path of exploration—Apollo 14's illuminated journey across Fra Mauro.
Alan Shepard captured this stunning photograph looking east from the Fra Mauro research site, showing its position relative to the Lunar Module Antares, seen in the background beneath the brilliant, unfiltered glare of the Sun.
The gleaming tracks of the Modular Equipment Transporter (MET)—a two-wheeled, hand-pulled cart—trace the astronauts' traverse across the rugged lunar terrain. Edgar Mitchell, born in Texas, likened the scene to "driving a tractor through a ploughed field," while Shepard had a more pragmatic take: "Nothing like being up to your armpits in lunar dust." (Mason, p. 186)
To the left of Antares, the inverted umbrella of the S-band antenna is visible, providing crucial communications with Earth. While Shepard and Mitchell explored Fra Mauro, Stuart Roosa remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module Kitty Hawk, preparing for their return.

Footnotes

From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken:

117:19:27 McCandless (Mission Control): Al, this is Houston. What are you photographing now? Over.
117:19:37 Shepard: Right now, I'm taking the 'distance' shot back to the LM from the RTG (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator).

Literature
LIFE, 26 February 1971, pp. 26-27
TIME, 22 February 1971, p. 44
National Geographic, July 1971, p. 139
Space: A History of Space Exploration in Photographs, Chaikin, p. 116
Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts, Jacobs, p. 93
Full Moon, Light, pl. 65
Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (NASA SP-350), Cortright, ed., pp. 228-229

Watch more
CLICK HERE : Apollo 14 Mission To Fra Mauro (1971)

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