An exceptionally rare official NASA mammoth-format gelatin silver photograph printed in 1967 from Lunar Orbiter III image data, depicting the eastern Ocean of Storms and the historic Fra Mauro region surveyed for the Apollo programme.

Bibliographic Details

Organisation: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Mission: Lunar Orbiter III.
Date: February 1967 (printed shortly after the mission).
Medium: Original vintage double-weight gelatin silver photograph.
Frame: Medium Resolution Frame 120.
Identification: Numbered "NASA LRC III-120M" and captioned in the lower margin.
Paper: Double-weight photographic paper.
Verso: Contemporary blue biro annotation in the vendor's hand.
Overall Size: Approximately 60 × 50 cm (23½ × 20 inches).
Image Size: Approximately 49 × 47 cm (19.3 × 18½ inches).

Condition

Very Good to Good. The expected light corner creasing from handling, together with a few light surface indentations and creases. There is a clean 2 cm tear to the left margin, well clear of the image area. Contemporary blue biro annotation to the reverse. Overall an attractive and well-preserved example of this rare exhibition format. Please ask if you require a more detailed condition report, or examine the gallery images closely.

Description

An exceptionally scarce official NASA mammoth-format gelatin silver photograph, printed shortly after the Lunar Orbiter III mission of February 1967. Produced directly from the original spacecraft image data during the height of the Apollo programme, this impressive exhibition-sized photograph represents one of the largest and most desirable formats in which NASA distributed its lunar imagery.

The photograph depicts a spectacular view across the eastern edge of Oceanus Procellarum (the Ocean of Storms), centred on the region between the celebrated Fra Mauro and Reinhold craters. This landscape would become one of the Moon's most historically significant areas, as Fra Mauro was selected as the landing site for Apollo 14, whose astronauts later collected geological samples believed to have been excavated by the immense Imbrium impact.

Captured by Lunar Orbiter III, the image formed part of NASA's systematic photographic reconnaissance programme undertaken in preparation for the Apollo Moon landings. The Lunar Orbiter spacecraft transformed lunar exploration by mapping potential landing sites with unprecedented clarity, allowing engineers and scientists to evaluate surface hazards, slopes and geological features before committing astronauts to lunar descent.

This original photograph bears its official mission identification, "NASA LRC III-120M", confirming its status as an authentic NASA laboratory print produced shortly after the mission. Printed on heavyweight double-weight photographic paper, it displays the rich tonal range and exceptional detail that distinguish contemporary NASA silver gelatin photographs from later reproductions.

Large-format NASA photographs of this scale were never intended for commercial sale. Instead, they were produced in comparatively limited numbers for scientists, engineers, research establishments, universities and members of the press. Consequently, surviving mammoth-format examples are considerably scarcer than the familiar 8 × 10 inch NASA publicity photographs and are increasingly prized by collectors of the Space Race.

The photograph is further enhanced by excellent provenance. It comes from the collection of amateur astronomer David J. Hasdell, who acquired it during the Lunar Orbiter programme through a relative employed by the Boston Globe. The relative obtained material directly from NASA or its contractors, ensuring the photograph has remained in private hands since the Apollo era.

Combining scientific importance, exceptional visual impact and genuine Apollo-era provenance, this is an outstanding original record from one of the most significant reconnaissance missions in the history of space exploration.

An exceptional 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 silver gelatin prints from the Lunar Orbiter missions are exceptionally uncommon and substantially rarer than standard NASA publicity photographs.

The Fra Mauro region later achieved lasting historical importance as the landing site of Apollo 14, making contemporary reconnaissance photographs of the area especially desirable to collectors of the Apollo programme.