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Lot 404
[Apollo 16] INCREDIBLE LONG-DISTANCE VIEW OF LM ORION FROM THE HEIGHTS OF STONE MOUNTAIN, STATION 4 Charles Duke, 16-27 April 1972, EVA 2
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue Hoche€600 - €800
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[Apollo 16] INCREDIBLE LONG-DISTANCE VIEW OF LM ORION FROM THE HEIGHTS OF STONE MOUNTAIN, STATION 4
Charles Duke, 16-27 April 1972, EVA 2
Printed 1972.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image AS16-110-17981].
With NASA caption on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS16-110-17981" 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
LM Orion lost in the immensity of the Descartes Highlands
As John Young guided the Lunar Rover down the steep slopes of Stone Mountain from Station 4 to Station 5, Charles Duke captured this breathtaking scene with the Hasselblad camera mounted on his chest from his passenger seat. This vantage point—152 metres (499 feet) above the valley floor—marked the highest elevation reached by astronauts on any Apollo mission.
In the vast expanse of the lunar highlands, the Lunar Module Orion appears as a tiny dark speck in a slightly lighter area, just above the second fiducial cross from the right, 4 km away. In the background, Smoky Mountain rises approximately 8 km in the distance, emphasizing the isolation of the astronauts in this alien world.
The sheer scale of the scene highlights the immense challenge and triumph of Apollo lunar exploration, as Young and Duke carefully navigated this rugged and unforgiving terrain.
Printed 1972.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image AS16-110-17981].
With NASA caption on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS16-110-17981" 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
LM Orion lost in the immensity of the Descartes Highlands
As John Young guided the Lunar Rover down the steep slopes of Stone Mountain from Station 4 to Station 5, Charles Duke captured this breathtaking scene with the Hasselblad camera mounted on his chest from his passenger seat. This vantage point—152 metres (499 feet) above the valley floor—marked the highest elevation reached by astronauts on any Apollo mission.
In the vast expanse of the lunar highlands, the Lunar Module Orion appears as a tiny dark speck in a slightly lighter area, just above the second fiducial cross from the right, 4 km away. In the background, Smoky Mountain rises approximately 8 km in the distance, emphasizing the isolation of the astronauts in this alien world.
The sheer scale of the scene highlights the immense challenge and triumph of Apollo lunar exploration, as Young and Duke carefully navigated this rugged and unforgiving terrain.
Footnotes
From the mission transcript at the beginning of the traverse from Station 4:
145:05:16 Duke: That thing (meaning the LRV Navigation system) is taking us straight for the LM, John. (Pause) Downslope is easy!
145:05:25 Young: As long as the brakes hold out...
145:05:27 Young: ...it's going to be easy, Charlie.
145:05:28 Duke: Have you got the brakes on?
145:05:29 Young: Partially.
145:05:31 Duke: Isn't that something? [...]
145:05:54 Duke: You know, it was really not apparent we were climbing this steep a slope.