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Lot 406
[Apollo 16] THE ROVER PARKED AT ITS FINAL VIP SITE, FACING THE LM ORION John Young, 16-27 April 1972, EVA 3
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue Hoche€600 - €800
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[Apollo 16] THE ROVER PARKED AT ITS FINAL VIP SITE, FACING THE LM ORION
John Young, 16-27 April 1972, EVA 3
Printed 1972.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS16-116-18715].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS16-116-18715" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas), with three filing holes in upper margin not affecting the image.
25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in).
Historical context
The VIP view of one of humanity's greatest explorations.
This rare and outstanding photograph of the Lunar Module Orion, unpublished after the mission, was taken by John Young at the conclusion of EVA-3, after he drove the Lunar Rover to its final parking spot, 80 metres east of the LM, nicknamed the VIP site. This strategic placement ensured that the Rover's TV camera could capture and transmit Orion's dramatic ascent from the lunar surface.
In the foreground, the Rover's aft section is visible, with the lunar penetrometre resting near the edge of the Aft Pallet behind the seats. Just beyond, the American flag stands in the Centre background. Footprints crisscross the lunar surface, leading toward the LM in the right foreground and beyond—evidence of the astronauts' final movements before leaving Descartes for their return journey to Earth.
Printed 1972.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS16-116-18715].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS16-116-18715" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas), with three filing holes in upper margin not affecting the image.
25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in).
Historical context
The VIP view of one of humanity's greatest explorations.
This rare and outstanding photograph of the Lunar Module Orion, unpublished after the mission, was taken by John Young at the conclusion of EVA-3, after he drove the Lunar Rover to its final parking spot, 80 metres east of the LM, nicknamed the VIP site. This strategic placement ensured that the Rover's TV camera could capture and transmit Orion's dramatic ascent from the lunar surface.
In the foreground, the Rover's aft section is visible, with the lunar penetrometre resting near the edge of the Aft Pallet behind the seats. Just beyond, the American flag stands in the Centre background. Footprints crisscross the lunar surface, leading toward the LM in the right foreground and beyond—evidence of the astronauts' final movements before leaving Descartes for their return journey to Earth.
Footnotes
A vertical streak in the image, caused by lunar dust adhering to the camera's reseau plate, stands as an artifact of exploration—evidence of the challenges and realities of working in the harsh lunar environment, rather than a mere imperfection in this pristine record of Apollo's extraordinary journey on the Moon.