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Lot 430
[Apollo 17] HARRISON SCHMITT AND THE ROVER IN THE DESOLATE LUNARSCAPE OF SHORTY CRATER, STATION 4 Eugene Cernan, 7-19 December 1972, EVA 2
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €1,024 inc. premium
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[Apollo 17] HARRISON SCHMITT AND THE ROVER IN THE DESOLATE LUNARSCAPE OF SHORTY CRATER, STATION 4
Eugene Cernan, 7-19 December 1972, EVA 2
Printed 1972.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS17-137-21011].
With NASA caption and "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS17-137-21011" 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
An astronaut and his vehicle in one of the most awe-inspiring sites of the Apollo era.
A famous frame from the panoramic sequence captured by Eugene Cernan near the east rim of Shorty Crater. Harrison Schmitt is seen working near the Rover, parked at the edge of Shorty Crater, while holding a double core tube. The area where the crew made the historic discovery of orange soil—rich in pyroclastic material—lies between the Rover and the large boulder just beyond it.
To the right, the western wall of Shorty Crater rises, while in the background, the 1,000-metre-high West Family Mountain stands beyond the Lincoln-Lee Scarp, a prominent mare wrinkle ridge crossing the Valley of Taurus-Littrow. A portion of South Massif is on the horizon at the left edge.
The absence of atmospheric haze on the Moon makes judging distances challenging: West Family Mountain, which appears deceptively close, is actually 16 km away.
"The clarity brought on by the lack of atmosphere gives the impression that objects are closer than they really are. This atmospheric clarity made it difficult to estimate distances, so I used the known distance of my shadow and any given sun angle to calibrate my estimates of near-field distances and crater diameters."
— Harrison Schmitt (Constantine, p. 139)
Printed 1972.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS17-137-21011].
With NASA caption and "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS17-137-21011" 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
An astronaut and his vehicle in one of the most awe-inspiring sites of the Apollo era.
A famous frame from the panoramic sequence captured by Eugene Cernan near the east rim of Shorty Crater. Harrison Schmitt is seen working near the Rover, parked at the edge of Shorty Crater, while holding a double core tube. The area where the crew made the historic discovery of orange soil—rich in pyroclastic material—lies between the Rover and the large boulder just beyond it.
To the right, the western wall of Shorty Crater rises, while in the background, the 1,000-metre-high West Family Mountain stands beyond the Lincoln-Lee Scarp, a prominent mare wrinkle ridge crossing the Valley of Taurus-Littrow. A portion of South Massif is on the horizon at the left edge.
The absence of atmospheric haze on the Moon makes judging distances challenging: West Family Mountain, which appears deceptively close, is actually 16 km away.
"The clarity brought on by the lack of atmosphere gives the impression that objects are closer than they really are. This atmospheric clarity made it difficult to estimate distances, so I used the known distance of my shadow and any given sun angle to calibrate my estimates of near-field distances and crater diameters."
— Harrison Schmitt (Constantine, p. 139)
Footnotes
From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken:
145:47:31 Cernan: Okay, Bob, I'm going several metres around to the east and (slightly) towards the south to get this pan.
145:47:38 Parker (Mission Control): Copy that.
145:47:43 Cernan: I'm going upslope. I'm circum... I'm on the circum... Oh, you know, on the rim. And I'm up. Oh, that ought to be a beautiful shot, if I could see what my settings are.
Literature
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, December 1973, pp. 294-295
Spacecam: Photographing the Final Frontier from Apollo to Hubble, Hope, p. 31
Watch more
CLICK HERE : APOLLO 17 LUNAR MISSION 1972 " ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS " NASA DOCUMENTARY 17694