[Gemini IV] The Earth from orbit: Cradle of Civilisation; Egypt’s Nile River...

[Gemini IV] The Earth from orbit: Cradle of Civilisation; Egypt’s Nile River Delta. James McDivitt, 3–7 June 1965. Printed 1965. Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-65–34776]. 20.3×25.4 cm (8×10 in), with printed annotations indicating the landmarks on the image, with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso (NASA / Kodak, Rochester, NY).

Literature: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, November 1966, pp. 644–645; Schick and Van Haaften, p. 37; Exploring Space with a Camera (NASA SP-168), Cortright, ed., p. 144; Earth Photographs from Gemini III, IV and V, NASA SP-129, p. 30.

This photograph showing the cradle of civilization from space is an evidence of a new evolution in the history of man, an important data point in man’s quest to understand his environment and the favorite Earth photograph of astronaut James McDivitt.

“After I got in orbit we looked out and saw the Nile Delta come up for the first time; I took a picture of the Delta on three or four passes. You only get one pass a day where you could get this angle of the delta from well to the west where you can look out and see Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon -even up to Saudi Arabia. That’s got to be my favorite Earth photo.” James McDivitt (Schick and Van Haaften, p. 37).

“For centuries man has looked on the Nile Valley as one of the cradles of civilization. Generations have explored, excavated, and interpreted the significance of the Nile and its delta, but it was not until 1965 that the world received its first panoramic view of this sprawling spectacle on the northern coast of Africa. This picture revealed, for the first time as an entity, the 500 000-square-mile delta with its collar of wind-whipped rock and desert. This photograph became an important data point in man’s quest to understand his environment.” Gemini VII and Apollo 8 astronaut Frank Borman (Cortright, p. 144).

Condition Report:Excellent condition.

Please notice: Supplementary material not included.

Category:Photos ▸ Vintage photographs