[Gemini XII] Agena tethered to Gemini following Buzz Aldrin’s spacewalk. Buzz Aldrin...

[Gemini XII] Agena tethered to Gemini following Buzz Aldrin’s spacewalk. Buzz Aldrin or James Lovell, 11–15 November 1966. Printed 1966. Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-66–62794]. 20.3×25.4 cm (8×10 in), with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso (NASA / Kodak, Rochester, NY).

The photograph was taken with the Maurer space camera and its 80mm lens after Aldrin had tethered the two spacecraft during his near-perfect EVA.

[Original NASA caption for the photograph] Northern portion of Sonora, Mexico; southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, as seen from the Gemini XII spacecraft during its 30th revolution of Earth. Includes the Tucson, Phoenix, Mogollon Rim, and Painted Desert areas. A 100-foot tether line connects the Agena Target Docking Vehicle with the Gemini XII spacecraft.

“This exercise demonstrated the feasibility of achieving stabilized orientation between two maneuverable spacecraft at slightly different altitudes, connected by a flexible tether. At the beginning of the exercise the two spacecraft were docked, the tether having been connected during Aldrin’s umbilical EVA. The vehicles were pitched to a vertical stable attitude, undocked, and separated, extending the tether. The second attempt to ‘capture’ or establish the gravity-gradient stabilization mode was judged successful in that the orientation was held for approximately 90 minutes with all control systems turned off. This successful demonstration promises a most useful technique for station-keeping spacecraft with minimum fuel expenditure.” Frank Bogart, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight (Cortright, p. 184).

Condition Report:Nice print on double weight paper in excellent condition.

Category:Photos ▸ Vintage photographs