[ad_1]
Neil Armstrong on the moon next to an American flag. Laika the dog sitting in a space capsule, shortly before becoming the first animal to orbit the Earth. Buzz Aldrin takes a selfie, our planet a blue curve behind him, in the first ever self-portrait produced in space.
The “Blue Marble”, the first fully illuminated photo of the Earth taken by a human, in 1972. Credit: Harrison Schmitt / Christie’s
The collection of original photographs spanned a range of historic missions, from the Mercury and Gemini spaceflight programs to the Apollo moon missions. Some of the images are now iconic, such as the “Blue Marble” photo taken by the Apollo 17 crew – the first fully illuminated photo of Earth taken by a human in space.
Others, however, were not released by NASA at the time they were taken and were new to the general public.
One of the more expensive items were the only photo shows Armstrong on the Moon, taken by Aldrin during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. According to the auction house it sold for £ 52,500 ($ 70,200).
The first self-portrait in space, taken by Buzz Aldrin in 1966. Credit: Buzz Aldrin / Christie’s
The images were captured when photography was still analog and required “light-sensitive chemical paper, film and photographic paper,” the statement read. The astronauts were instructed on how to take pictures into space from NASA, along with specialists from the likes of Kodak and National Geographic.
“Through their cameras, astronauts transformed into artists were able to convey to humanity the beauty and depth of their experience in space, forever changing the way we see ourselves and our place in the universe”, the statement said.
Crescent Earth rising beyond the barren horizon of the Moon, taken in 1971. Credit: Alfred Worden / Christie’s
For decades, the unedited photos have been stored in the archives of the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, and have only been accessible by accredited researchers. The objects, assembled over the course of 15 years by private collector Victor Martin-Malburet, have been exhibited in museums around the world including the Grand Palais in Paris and the Kunsthaus in Zurich.
“Astronauts are often portrayed as great scientists and heroes, but they are rarely hailed as some of the most significant photographers of all time,” Martin-Malburet said in the statement.
“The early pioneers of Mercury and Gemini were given as a canvas space and the Earth; the Apollo astronauts an alien world”.
First US spacewalk, Ed White’s EVA over Texas, June 3-7, 1965. Credit: James McDivitt / Christie’s
Image caption above: Neil Armstrong’s only photograph on the moon, taken in 1969.
This article has been updated to include final sales prices.
.
[ad_2]
Source link
