[Lunar Orbiter I] One of the first orbital photographs of the Moon;...

[Lunar Orbiter I] One of the first orbital photographs of the Moon; Crater Gambart. NASA, 26 August 1966. Printed 1966. Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper [NASA image LRC I-138M]. 20.3×25.4 cm (8×10 in), with NASA caption numbered “S-66–57238” on the verso, numbered “NASA S-66–57238” in black in top margin (NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas).

Lunar Orbiter I was the first robotic spacecraft to capture high quality photographs of the Moon from orbit, transmitting to humankind its first detailed views of our satellite and photographs of stunning abstract beauty. Its mission was critical to reveal and map the previously unknown landscapes of our satellite.

The first Lunar Orbiter spacecraft was launched on August 10, 1966, and photographed nine primary and seven secondary sites that were candidates for Apollo landings. The medium-resolution pictures were of good quality, but a malfunction in the synchronization of the shutter caused loss of the high-resolution frames. In addition, some views of the far side and oblique views of the Earth and Moon were also taken. (Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (NASA SP-350), Cortright, ed., chapter 5.5).

The Lunar Orbiters had an ingenious imaging system, which consisted of a dual lens camera, a film processing unit, a readout scanner, and a film handling apparatus. Both lenses, a 610mm narrow angle high-resolution (HR) lens and an 80mm wide-angle medium resolution (MR) lens, placed their frame exposures on a single roll of 70mm film. The axes of the two cameras were coincident so the area imaged in the high resolution frames was centered within the medium resolution frame areas. The film was moved during exposure to compensate for the spacecraft velocity, which was estimated by an electric-optical sensor. The film was then processed, scanned, and the images transmitted back to Earth as “framelets” and then reassembled. A complete medium resolution frame usually required reassembly of 26 framelets while a complete high resolution frame required 86 framelets. (National Space Science Data Center, NASA Goddard (https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunarorb.html and http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/documents/LO_DUNOTES.pdf)

This medium resolution photograph (Lunar Orbiter frame I-138-M) taken with the wide-angle 80mm lens at a Sun elevation of 15° shows wonderful detail of an area west of the Crater Gambart on the nearside. The area of the Moon’s surface shown is about 21 by 25 miles. Latitude / longitude: 0.45°N, 17.15°W.

Condition Report:Small crease to bottom corners, otherwise excellent condition.

Category:Photos ▸ Vintage photographs