An exceptionally rare set of three official mammoth-format NASA gelatin silver photographs produced from Lunar Orbiter V image data during the Apollo era, each an original exhibition-sized print dating from the historic 1967 mission.

Bibliographic Details

Organisation: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Mission: Lunar Orbiter V.
Date: August 1967 (printed shortly after the mission).
Medium: Three original vintage double-weight gelatin silver photographs.
Captions: Official printed NASA captions beneath each image, recording frame number, mission data, date and time.
Paper: Double-weight photographic paper.
Verso: Blank.
Subjects: Oceanus Procellarum (Frame V-210); Vitella (Frame V-168); Aristarchus (Frame V-199).
Format: Mammoth exhibition format.

Condition

Very Good to Good. Light corner creasing and edge creasing together with minimal handling creases and a few very minor surface abrasions confined to small areas. Overall an exceptionally well-preserved set for photographs of this size. Please ask if you require a more detailed condition report, or examine the gallery images closely.

Description

An outstanding and remarkably scarce set of three original NASA mammoth-format gelatin silver photographs, produced from image data transmitted by Lunar Orbiter V during its historic mission of August 1967. Measuring approximately 23½ × 20 inches (61 × 51 cm), these are not later reproductions but genuine vintage NASA prints produced during the Apollo era from the original mission negatives.

The Lunar Orbiter programme was one of the most important precursors to the Apollo Moon landings. Between 1966 and 1967, five robotic spacecraft photographed virtually the entire lunar surface with unprecedented resolution, enabling NASA scientists to identify safe landing sites for the forthcoming Apollo missions while simultaneously transforming mankind's understanding of lunar geology.

The present photographs originate from Lunar Orbiter V, the final spacecraft in the series. Unlike its predecessors, which concentrated heavily on prospective Apollo landing areas, Lunar Orbiter V completed the systematic photographic survey of the Moon, recording many of its most spectacular geological formations in extraordinary detail.

The three images comprise:

• Frame V-210 – Oceanus Procellarum
Overall size approximately 51 × 61 cm (20 × 23½ inches), image approximately 44 × 55 cm. A magnificent view across the vast Ocean of Storms, one of the Moon's largest basaltic plains and an area of immense scientific importance during the Apollo programme.

• Frame V-168 – Vitella
Overall size approximately 51 × 61 cm (20 × 23½ inches), image approximately 44 × 53 cm. A beautifully detailed study centred upon the prominent impact crater Vitella and its surrounding lunar landscape.

• Frame V-199 – Aristarchus
Overall size approximately 51 × 61 cm (20 × 23½ inches), image approximately 43 × 53 cm. Showing the spectacular Aristarchus region, among the brightest and geologically most fascinating formations on the lunar surface, long regarded as one of the Moon's most remarkable craters.

Each photograph bears its original printed NASA mission caption, recording the frame number together with the technical details of image acquisition. Printed on heavyweight double-weight photographic paper, these exhibition-sized photographs possess exceptional tonal richness and clarity, reflecting the extraordinarily high quality of the original Lunar Orbiter imagery.

Large-format NASA photographs of this period were produced in comparatively small numbers for scientific institutions, government agencies, educational organisations and the press. Surviving examples of this exceptional size are considerably scarcer than the familiar 8 × 10 inch NASA publicity prints and are increasingly sought after by collectors of space exploration memorabilia.

The provenance further enhances the set. These photographs originate from the collection of amateur astronomer David J. Hasdell, who acquired them during the Lunar Orbiter programme through a relative employed by the Boston Globe. They have remained together ever since, providing an excellent contemporary association with the excitement surrounding the Space Race.

A remarkable Apollo-era archive combining scientific importance, impressive visual impact and outstanding rarity—ideal for collectors of NASA photography, the Apollo programme, lunar exploration, the Space Race and twentieth-century scientific photography.

Notes

Original mammoth-format NASA photographs from the Lunar Orbiter missions are encountered only rarely on the market and are substantially scarcer than standard NASA publicity prints.

The Lunar Orbiter programme directly enabled the success of the Apollo Moon landings by identifying and evaluating potential landing sites while producing the first comprehensive photographic survey of the lunar surface.