Lot 740: Four NASA Moon Survey Photos; 1966, Sea of Tranquility

Four (4) original large-format vintage gelatin silver prints on glossy paper from NASA's Second Lunar Orbiter mission, November 18-25, 1966. The photographs are designated 5M, 64H1, 64H2, and 69H3 lower left. A total of 215 sets of photographs were planned for the second orbiter mission in 1966, each consisting of one Medium resolution image and three high-resolution images of the same area. Print 5M is a medium-resolution image of the crater formation Maskelyne F in the southeast section of Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility), with print 69H3 slightly north of that location. Prints 64H1 and 64H2 are high-resolution images of the area directly east of the crater Ariadaeus B, south of Rima Ariadaeus. Unframed. Sheets measure 24" H x 20" W. Note: "Five Lunar Orbiter missions were launched in 1966 through 1967 with the purpose of mapping the lunar surface before the Apollo landings. All five missions were successful, and 99% of the Moon was photographed with a resolution of 60 m or better. The first three missions were dedicated to imaging 20 potential lunar landing sites, selected based on Earth-based observations. The Lunar Orbiters had an ingenious imaging system, which consisted of a dual-lens camera, a film processing unit, a readout scanner, and a film handling apparatus. Both lenses, a 610-mm narrow angle high-resolution (H) lens and an 80-mm wide-angle medium resolution (M) lens, placed their frame exposures on a single roll of 70 mm film. The axes of the two cameras were coincident so the area imaged in the HR frames were centered within the Medium Resolution frame areas. The film was moved during exposure to compensate for the spacecraft velocity, which was estimated by an electric-optical sensor. The film was then processed, scanned, and the images transmitted back to Earth. Lunar Orbiter 2's mission was to photograph 13 primary and 17 secondary landing sites for the Apollo program in the northern region of the Moon's near side equatorial area." (Source: NASA.gov)

PROVENANCE: Private Knoxville collection. Consignor previously worked in the planetary science field in Houston, TX.

CONDITION: Each in very good condition with slight wrinkling.