An exceptionally rare official NASA mammoth-format gelatin silver photograph produced from Lunar Orbiter V image data during the Apollo era, showing a dramatic oblique view across the Sea of Fertility and Taruntius crater region.

Bibliographic Details

Organisation: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Mission: Lunar Orbiter V.
Date: August 1967 (printed shortly after the mission).
Medium: Original vintage double-weight gelatin silver photograph.
Frame: Medium-resolution Frame 038.
Identification: Numbered "GRE 06050210, KI No. 5021".
Caption: Official NASA printed caption in the lower margin.
Paper: Double-weight photographic paper.
Verso: Blank.
Overall Size: Approximately 60 × 49 cm (23½ × 19½ inches).
Image Size: Approximately 49 × 44 cm (19½ × 17 inches), excluding margins and caption.

Condition

Very Good to Good. Light corner and edge creasing together with minimal handling creases and a few very minor surface abrasions confined to small areas. A particularly well-preserved example of this impressive exhibition format. Please ask if you require a more detailed condition report, or examine the gallery images closely.

Description

A remarkably scarce official NASA mammoth-format gelatin silver photograph, produced from image data transmitted by Lunar Orbiter V during its historic mission of August 1967. Measuring approximately 23½ × 19½ inches, this impressive exhibition-sized print is an original Apollo-era production rather than a later reproduction, preserving the exceptional tonal quality of NASA's contemporary photographic printing.

The photograph presents a spectacular oblique view of the lunar surface, creating a striking sense of depth rarely encountered in conventional overhead lunar photography. Prominently visible in the lower right is the distinctive Taruntius crater region, while much of the image is dominated by the broad expanse of Mare Fecunditatis (the Sea of Fertility), one of the Moon's great basaltic plains formed by ancient volcanic activity.

The image originated during the Lunar Orbiter V mission, the final spacecraft in NASA's pioneering Lunar Orbiter programme. Between 1966 and 1967 the five Lunar Orbiters systematically photographed virtually the entire lunar surface, providing the detailed reconnaissance essential for selecting safe Apollo landing sites while dramatically expanding scientific knowledge of lunar geology.

This photograph retains its original printed NASA caption together with the mission identification numbers "GRE 06050210, KI No. 5021", confirming its status as an authentic contemporary NASA production. Printed on heavyweight double-weight photographic paper shortly after the mission, it possesses outstanding clarity and rich tonal gradation characteristic of official NASA photographic laboratory prints.

Large-format NASA photographs of this scale were produced in comparatively limited numbers for scientific institutions, educational bodies, government agencies and members of the press. Surviving mammoth-format NASA silver prints are considerably rarer than the familiar 8 × 10 inch publicity photographs and have become increasingly sought after by collectors of the Space Race and Apollo-era memorabilia.

The photograph benefits from excellent provenance, having originated from the collection of amateur astronomer David J. Hasdell. Acquired during the Lunar Orbiter programme through a relative employed by the Boston Globe, who obtained material directly from NASA or its contractors, the print has remained carefully preserved since the late 1960s.

Both scientifically important and visually dramatic, this striking lunar panorama represents one of the finest forms in which original NASA photography was produced during the golden age of space exploration.

A superb acquisition for collectors of NASA photography, Apollo programme memorabilia, Space Race history, lunar exploration, astronomy and twentieth-century scientific photography.

Notes

Original mammoth-format NASA photographs from the Lunar Orbiter missions are exceptionally uncommon and substantially scarcer than standard NASA publicity prints.

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