[Apollo 10] Tremendous view of Crater Schmidt at Sunrise. Eugene Cernan, 18–26...

[Apollo 10] Tremendous view of Crater Schmidt at Sunrise. Eugene Cernan, 18–26 May 1969. Printed 1969. Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper [NASA image AS10–34-5162, originally shot on color film]. 25.4×20.3 cm (10×8 in), numbered “AS10–34-5162” in black in top margin, with NASA caption numbered “AS10–34-5162” on the verso (NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas).

Literature: LIFE, 6 June 1969, pg. 36; Moon: Man’s Greatest Adventure, Thomas, ed., pg. 174; The View from Space: American Astronaut Photography, 1962–1972, Schick and Van Haaften, pg. 64.

This mesmerizing photograph was taken through the 250mm telephoto lens by Eugene Cernan during the 18th revolution around the Moon as the spacecraft was approaching the nearside terminator. The 11-km long and 2.3-km deep Crater Schmidt lies to the west of the landing site chosen for Apollo 11 (latitude / longitude: 1° N / 19.5° E). Its wall is dramatically lit by the low-sun angle.

The most notable features of Schmidt are the sharp rim, ray pattern, relatively rough floor, and surrounding hummocky terrain. Numerous boulders, easily resolvable on a photograph of this scale and quality, can be seen in the area surrounding the crater and on the crater floor. Most of these boulders range in size from 68 to 122 m. (NASA SP-246, p. 81).

From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken:

110:43:14 Stafford: OK, Houston. If Jack Schmitt’s still there, we’re passing over the crater. We got it named after him. It’s right past Ritter and Sabine, and right here you can see some tremendous boulders down on the outside rim, there. They’re great big white ones. I’d say they’re, oh, to see it from this altitude here - and they got long shadows on them, they’re at least about a hundred feet or more in diameter. And down near the bottom, you can see where the sides are slumping in. It’s more like the tailings off a mine. And the sides are white and gray. You can see fractured structure in there, too. We got some pictures of it. Over.

Condition Report:Very minor crease to top left corner, otherwise excellent condition.

Category:Photos ▸ Vintage photographs