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Lot 375
[Apollo 15] DAVID SCOTT EXAMINING A BOULDER AT STATION 2 AFTER THE FIRST EXCURSION WITH THE LUNAR ROVER James Irwin, 26 July - 7 August 1971, EVA 1
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €537.60 inc. premium
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[Apollo 15] DAVID SCOTT EXAMINING A BOULDER AT STATION 2 AFTER THE FIRST EXCURSION WITH THE LUNAR ROVER
James Irwin, 26 July - 7 August 1971, EVA 1
Printed 1971.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA images AS15-85-11437].
Numbered "NASA AS15-85-11437" in black in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in.)
Historical context
The first true excursion on the Moon with the rover.
Station 2 was perched near the rim of St. George Crater on the flank of Mount Hadley Delta, about 50 meters above the valley floor—a magnificent site where the crew discovered a large boulder, ideal for sampling.
The Lunar Rover, parked in the foreground, allowed the astronauts to reach this breathtaking location, considered one of the most scenic landscapes of any Apollo mission and the primary objective of the first EVA. While James Irwin struggled to maintain balance on the steep slope of Hadley Delta, he managed to capture this image—part of the Station 2 panoramic sequence—showing David Scott placing a gnomon next to the boulder for scale and reference.
To Scott's left, the slopes of Mount Hadley Delta rise sharply, while to his right, Bennett Hill and Hadley Canyon dominate the background below. In the foreground, Irwin's shadow and the tracks of the Lunar Rover are clearly visible.
Printed 1971.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA images AS15-85-11437].
Numbered "NASA AS15-85-11437" in black in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in.)
Historical context
The first true excursion on the Moon with the rover.
Station 2 was perched near the rim of St. George Crater on the flank of Mount Hadley Delta, about 50 meters above the valley floor—a magnificent site where the crew discovered a large boulder, ideal for sampling.
The Lunar Rover, parked in the foreground, allowed the astronauts to reach this breathtaking location, considered one of the most scenic landscapes of any Apollo mission and the primary objective of the first EVA. While James Irwin struggled to maintain balance on the steep slope of Hadley Delta, he managed to capture this image—part of the Station 2 panoramic sequence—showing David Scott placing a gnomon next to the boulder for scale and reference.
To Scott's left, the slopes of Mount Hadley Delta rise sharply, while to his right, Bennett Hill and Hadley Canyon dominate the background below. In the foreground, Irwin's shadow and the tracks of the Lunar Rover are clearly visible.
Footnotes
Thanks to the Rover-mounted TV camera, which had its antenna precisely pointed at Earth, Mission Control and viewers back home could witness the scene in real-time.
From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken:
122:38:41 Scott: Man, you all ought to have a great view this time (with the TV camera). Okay, Jim; let's go sample this rock.
122:38:46 Allen (Mission Control): Can hardly wait.
122:38:47 Irwin: Let me take a pan here, Dave.
122:38:48 Scott: Okay; get your pan. (Responding to Allen) This is unreal.
122:38:53 Scott: The most beautiful thing I've ever seen. (Long Pause) Man, we're walking uphill, too! Is that ever uphill! There is one boulder! Very angular, very rough surface texture.
Literature
National Geographic, "The Mountains of the Moon", February 1972, pp. 234-235