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Lot 99
[Gemini IX-A] FROM HELL TO PARADISE: the return of the second U.S. spacewalker NASA, 7 June 1966
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue Hoche€300 - €500
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[Gemini IX-A] FROM HELL TO PARADISE: the return of the second U.S. spacewalker
NASA, 7 June 1966
Printed 1966.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-66-37712].
Numbered "NASA S-66-37712" in red in the top margin, with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas).
20 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical contexte
From a spacewalk in hell to the triumphant cheers on Earth.
After one of the most harrowing spacewalks in history, astronauts Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford emerge safely from their Gemini 9-A capsule, greeted with relief and celebration.
This seemingly cheerful moment belies the extreme danger they faced in orbit. Cernan's EVA (extravehicular activity) was only the third spacewalk ever attempted and the first where an astronaut tried to perform real work outside the spacecraft. With no secure handholds or footholds, Cernan struggled against the vacuum of space, exhausting himself as he wrestled with his wrench—only to find himself spinning uncontrollably. His suit's cooling system overheated, his visor fogged up, and the risk of being unable to return to the capsule loomed over the mission.
Stafford later revealed in the documentary Mission Impossible: Gemini that there was real concern that Cernan might not make it back inside. Since it was unthinkable to cut him loose, the only contingency was a tragic last resort: re-entering with Cernan still tethered outside, a move that would have doomed both men.
Against all odds, Cernan fought his way back inside, securing the hatch just in time for their successful return to Earth. This photograph immortalizes their survival, a testament to the resilience, skill, and sheer determination that defined the Gemini era.
Printed 1966.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-66-37712].
Numbered "NASA S-66-37712" in red in the top margin, with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas).
20 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical contexte
From a spacewalk in hell to the triumphant cheers on Earth.
After one of the most harrowing spacewalks in history, astronauts Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford emerge safely from their Gemini 9-A capsule, greeted with relief and celebration.
This seemingly cheerful moment belies the extreme danger they faced in orbit. Cernan's EVA (extravehicular activity) was only the third spacewalk ever attempted and the first where an astronaut tried to perform real work outside the spacecraft. With no secure handholds or footholds, Cernan struggled against the vacuum of space, exhausting himself as he wrestled with his wrench—only to find himself spinning uncontrollably. His suit's cooling system overheated, his visor fogged up, and the risk of being unable to return to the capsule loomed over the mission.
Stafford later revealed in the documentary Mission Impossible: Gemini that there was real concern that Cernan might not make it back inside. Since it was unthinkable to cut him loose, the only contingency was a tragic last resort: re-entering with Cernan still tethered outside, a move that would have doomed both men.
Against all odds, Cernan fought his way back inside, securing the hatch just in time for their successful return to Earth. This photograph immortalizes their survival, a testament to the resilience, skill, and sheer determination that defined the Gemini era.
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