Apollo

Apollo, 1968 to 1972: the first crews to leave Earth orbit, circle the Moon and walk on it, opened by the robot scouts that went first. Most of these photographs were restored for the book Apollo VII-XVII; the rest are new from The NASA Photo Book.

258 photographs · 1964 to 1975 · Mission 4 of 14
258 photographs
Alan Bean holding a sample can, Pete Conrad in his visor, Apollo 12, 20 November 1969
Apollo 12 · 20 November 1969AS12-49-7278

A Can of Lunar Soil

The man holding the camera is in the photograph too: Pete Conrad, standing small in Alan Bean's visor.
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Pete Conrad's shadow at the edge of Sharp Crater, Apollo 12, 20 November 1969
Apollo 12 · 20 November 1969AS12-49-7272

The Far End of the Loop

Sharp Crater was the farthest point of the second moonwalk. The dark figure in the foreground is the photographer's own shadow.
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Alan Bean carrying the experiment packages, the Sun at left, Apollo 12, 19 November 1969
Apollo 12 · 19 November 1969AS12-46-6806

Walking Out of the Glare

Minutes earlier the nuclear fuel for the station's power supply had stuck in its cask. Conrad freed it with a hammer.
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Alan Bean photographing the lunar module footpad, Apollo 12, 19 November 1969
Apollo 12 · 19 November 1969AS12-46-6779

Checking the Footpads

Bean was recording how deep the lander's feet had pressed into the ground. Only about 1.5 to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm), he reported.
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Pete Conrad holding out the corner of the flag, Apollo 12, 19 November 1969
Apollo 12 · 19 November 1969AS12-47-6896

The Hinge That Would Not Latch

The crossbar meant to hold the flag out had a hinge that would not lock. So Conrad held the corner out himself.
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The lunar module Intrepid in flight above the cratered Moon, Apollo 12, 19 November 1969
Apollo 12 · 19 November 1969AS12-51-7511

Intrepid Flies Free

Its legs were already out for landing. Less than three hours after it undocked, the lander was standing in the Ocean of Storms.
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A thin crescent of Earth against black space, Apollo 11, 24 July 1969
Apollo 11 · 24 July 1969AS11-44-6694

Eight Days Away

Among the last photographs of Earth made on Apollo 11, in the final hours before the crew splashed down in the Pacific.
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The gibbous Moon receding behind the spacecraft, Apollo 10, 24 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 24 May 1969AS10-27-3959

Rounder and Smaller

‘That thing is getting rounder and rounder and rounder and smaller all the time,’ Gene Cernan said as the Moon fell behind them.
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The Moon's curved edge with Giordano Bruno crater on the horizon, Apollo 10, 24 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 24 May 1969AS10-27-3916

Giordano Bruno on the Horizon

Minutes after the engine burn that sent them home, Tom Stafford said: ‘Boy, look at that Moon go away.’
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Low sun over Sinus Medii, Bruce crater in the foreground, Apollo 10, May 1969
Apollo 10 · May 1969AS10-27-3907

Ridges in the Central Bay

NASA's caption gives sun angles from about 6 degrees down to under 1 degree. That low, even a gentle ridge throws a shadow.
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Far side craters near the horizon, a pink flare across them, Apollo 10, May 1969
Apollo 10 · May 1969AS10-34-5170

Flare Over the Far Side

Papaleksi and Spencer Jones lie at about 164 degrees east, on the side of the Moon that can never be seen from Earth.
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Earth rising over the lunar horizon above Mare Smythii, Apollo 10, May 1969Bestseller
Apollo 10 · May 1969AS10-27-3888

Earth Over Smyth's Sea

‘We can see how the Sun progresses across the Earth up there every time we get an Earthrise,’ Tom Stafford said in lunar orbit.
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The command module nose on over Mare Smythii, Apollo 10, 22 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 22 May 1969AS10-27-3874

Polished Like a Mirror

The command module, seen from the lander as the two craft closed in over a sea named after the astronomer William Henry Smyth.
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The lunar module ascent stage close up, Moon behind, Apollo 10, 22 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 22 May 1969AS10-34-5115

Almost Back Together

From Snoopy, Stafford talked Young in: ‘Okay, John. You're in to about 5 feet, babe. Looking beautiful.’
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The lunar module ascent stage over far side craters, Apollo 10, 22 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 22 May 1969AS10-34-5108

Coming Back Without Legs

Snoopy had cast off its descent stage, legs and all. Only the top part came back to John Young.
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The command module seen from the lunar module, Moon below, Apollo 10, 22 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 22 May 1969AS10-27-3856

Looking Back at Charlie Brown

For once the camera was in the lander. This is the command module, John Young alone inside, seen from Snoopy over the far side.
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The lunar module with legs down, a purple reflection above, Apollo 10, 22 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 22 May 1969AS10-34-5092

Ready to Go Down

About an hour later, Stafford and Cernan started down towards the Sea of Tranquillity, to within about 15 kilometres of the surface.
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The lunar module close up, flag visible, window frame at left, Apollo 10, 22 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 22 May 1969AS10-34-5086

Close Enough to See the Flag

Inside Snoopy, Gene Cernan had a request: ‘It would be good if John could get a picture of us against the lunar surface right like this, you know it?’
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The lunar module Snoopy with legs extended, seen through a window, Apollo 10, 22 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 22 May 1969AS10-34-5082

Gear Down and Locked

Alone in the command module, John Young checked the lander's legs for the two men inside it. ‘Your gear is all down and locked, babe.’
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Moltke crater and Rima Hypatia in very low sunlight, Apollo 10, May 1969
Apollo 10 · May 1969AS10-34-5073

The Rille Called U.S. 1

Of the crater Moltke on their first pass, Tom Stafford said: ‘I can just see a little bit of a white rim and the rest is black.’
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Close up of the lunar module's rendezvous window and riveted skin, Apollo 10, May 1969
Apollo 10 · May 1969AS10-34-5066

Rivets and a Small Window

Part of a run of close ups of Snoopy's outside: antennas, thrusters, the docking target, and this rendezvous window.
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The lunar module inside the top of the spent S-IVB stage, Apollo 10, 18 May 1969
Apollo 10 · 18 May 1969AS10-34-5011

Turning Round for Snoopy

Houston was watching this live, in colour. ‘The sun's really shining on it,’ Charlie Duke told the crew.
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A thin band of sunrise light along the Earth's edge, Apollo 9, 13 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 13 March 1969AS09-20-3175

Sunrise on the Last Day

One of the last sunrises the crew saw from orbit, photographed on the day they came home.
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A tiny lunar module ascent stage below the Earth's limb, Apollo 9, March 1969
Apollo 9 · March 1969AS09-21-3254

Small Against the Dark

Only the upper half of Spider still flew, and from a distance it was a speck of light against black space.
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The lunar module ascent stage during the rendezvous, Earth at right, Apollo 9, 7 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 7 March 1969AS09-21-3238

Coming in the Sunlight

‘You're the biggest, friendliest, funniest looking spider I've ever seen,’ Scott told the crew as the lander came back.
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The command module seen nose on, docking tunnel at centre, Apollo 9, 7 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 7 March 1969AS09-24-3652

Face to Face in Orbit

Gumdrop nose on, showing the docking mechanism the two spacecraft would need to join up again.
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The command and service module seen through the lunar module window, Apollo 9, 7 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 7 March 1969AS09-24-3640

Through Spider's Window

The lander's windows were double paned, vented to space and heated electrically so they would not fog.
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The lunar module over a dense cloud deck, Apollo 9, 7 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 7 March 1969AS09-21-3199

Upside Down Over a Front

NASA's catalogue notes that Spider was flying upside down in relation to the Earth below.
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The lunar module side on, flag on the descent stage, Apollo 9, 7 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 7 March 1969AS09-21-3188

A Nice Looking Machine

‘That's a nice looking machine,’ Scott said, after the lander undocked and backed away from him.
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The lunar module with legs extended over the ocean, Apollo 9, 7 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 7 March 1969AS09-21-3182

All Four Legs Out

McDivitt pitched and then yawed the lander so that Scott could check that all four legs were extended.
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Russell Schweickart standing on the porch, seen through the window, Apollo 9, 6 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 6 March 1969AS09-20-3094

Red Rover at the Window

‘Smile,’ McDivitt said from inside the lander. ‘Hello, there,’ Schweickart answered. ‘This is no problem at all.’
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Russell Schweickart's legs seen through the lunar module window, Apollo 9, 6 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 6 March 1969AS09-20-3087

Marks on the Glass

‘The trouble is, I've got this glass here with all the marks on it,’ McDivitt said, trying to photograph Schweickart through the window.
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Russell Schweickart's legs above the edge of the lunar module, Apollo 9, 6 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 6 March 1969AS09-19-3000

Half Out of Sight

A nylon rope 7.6 metres long was the only thing that kept him from drifting away.
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Russell Schweickart, head down, gripping a handrail on the lunar module, Apollo 9, 6 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 6 March 1969AS09-19-2998

Hand Over Hand

The planned move from one spacecraft to the other was cancelled, so the handrails were tested on the lander alone.
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Russell Schweickart on the lunar module porch, holding a camera, Apollo 9, 6 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 6 March 1969AS09-19-2982

The Photographer on the Porch

Stepping out onto the porch, Schweickart told the crew: ‘Hey, this is like spectacular.’ He had brought a camera with him.
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The docked command module seen from the lunar module, hatch open, Apollo 9, 6 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 6 March 1969AS09-20-3071

Gumdrop From the Porch

Schweickart took this from the lander's porch, looking up past Spider to the open hatch of Gumdrop.
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The spent S-IVB stage drifting away, lunar module in the foreground, Apollo 9, 3 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 3 March 1969AS09-19-2941

Leaving the Third Stage

With Spider pulled free, the spent stage began to drift off. McDivitt watched it go: ‘Heck, we're going away from it, Dave. Good.’
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The lunar module inside the open end of the S-IVB stage, Apollo 9, 3 March 1969
Apollo 9 · 3 March 1969AS09-19-2921

Spider Still in the Rocket

‘I don't know where to point this stupid camera,’ Schweickart said, as the crew photographed the lander still sitting inside the rocket.
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Far side highlands and a bright rayed crater, looking south, Apollo 8, December 1968
Apollo 8 · December 1968AS08-12-2187

The Tenth Time Around

Photographed on the tenth and last revolution, near the burn that sent Apollo 8 home. Lovell confirmed it with ‘Please be informed there is a Santa Claus.’
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Far side craters near the terminator, filled with shadow, Apollo 8, December 1968
Apollo 8 · December 1968AS08-14-2399

Shadow in Every Hollow

So close to the line between day and night that most craters are full of shadow. It became one of the most reproduced photographs of the far side.
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Craters on the floor of the Korolev basin, filled with shadow, Apollo 8, December 1968
Apollo 8 · December 1968AS08-17-2664

Navigating by the Keyhole

The crew called the oblong crater at the lower left the Keyhole. A small crater on its rim was one of Jim Lovell's navigation marks.
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Low sun and long shadows across the Sea of Tranquility, Apollo 8, December 1968
Apollo 8 · December 1968AS08-13-2347

Low Sun Over Tranquility

In a television broadcast from lunar orbit, Bill Anders described this sea as ‘smooth in order to make it easy for the initial landing attempts’.
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A fault scarp and a rille crossing the Sea of Tranquility, Apollo 8, December 1968
Apollo 8 · December 1968AS08-13-2344

Where the Plain Steps Down

The launch time was chosen so this sea could be photographed in the best possible light. Seven months later, Apollo 11 landed there.
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Goclenius crater with rilles across its floor, two craters beyond, Apollo 8, December 1968
Apollo 8 · December 1968AS08-13-2224

Over the Sea of Fertility

A crater floor cracked by straight rilles, one of which runs across both rims and the central peak.
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The Earth rising over the lunar horizon, window frame below, Apollo 8, 24 December 1968
Apollo 8 · 24 December 1968AS08-14-2390

The Earth Coming Up

Asked to guess what Borman had just seen, Lovell offered ‘Tsiolkovsky?’ The answer came back: ‘No, it's the Earth coming up.’
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The Western Hemisphere, turned on its side, under heavy cloud, Apollo 8, 21 December 1968
Apollo 8 · 21 December 1968AS08-16-2593

The Whole Earth in One Frame

The first photograph of the whole Earth made by a person. Bill Anders could see it from his side window: ‘it's a beautiful view with numerous cloud vortex.’
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The spent S-IVB stage end on, surrounded by drifting particles, Apollo 8, 21 December 1968
Apollo 8 · 21 December 1968AS08-16-2583

Fireflies Around the Stage

Lovell found the spent stage right in the middle of his window and took five photographs of it over the next few minutes.
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Hazy land and cloud over the Congo, orange light at right, Apollo 7, October 1968
Apollo 7 · October 1968AS07-3-1511

Over the Congo

Hazy land, a bank of white cloud, and streaks of orange light across the right side of the frame.
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Cumulus and cirrus over the ocean, seen from above, Apollo 7, October 1968
Apollo 7 · October 1968AS07-6-1683

Cloud Over Open Ocean

Ninety per cent cloud, according to NASA's catalogue, and no land anywhere in the frame.
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The Nile filling the valleys behind the Aswan High Dam, Apollo 7, October 1968
Apollo 7 · October 1968AS07-8-1905

The River Behind the Dam

Two years before the High Dam at Aswan was finished, the Nile was already spreading into the desert behind it.
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Apollo, 1968 to 1972: the first crews to leave Earth orbit, circle the Moon and walk on it, opened by the robot scouts that went first. Most of these photographs were restored for the book Apollo VII-XVII; the rest are new from The NASA Photo Book.

258 photographs · 1964 to 1975 · Mission 4 of 14
About Apollo

The Apollo collection opens with the robotic scouts that prepared the way: Ranger 7, which sent the first American close-up photographs of the Moon in July 1964, Surveyor 1, which landed in June 1966 and showed the ground would hold a spacecraft, and Lunar Orbiter 1, which made the first photograph of Earth from the Moon’s distance in August 1966. Then come the crewed flights, from Apollo 7 in October 1968 to Apollo 17 in December 1972, the last time anyone walked on the Moon. It holds Earthrise from Apollo 8, Buzz Aldrin at Tranquility Base with Neil Armstrong in his visor, the Blue Marble, and the lunar rover at Hadley and at Taurus-Littrow. Most of these photographs were restored for the book Apollo VII-XVII, from scans of the original film. New frames from The NASA Photo Book add the Apollo 13 carbon dioxide fix and the launch of Apollo 11 seen from the tower.