[APOLLO 11] BUZZ ALDRIN STRIDING ACROSS THE SEA OF TRANQUILLITY WITH SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT Neil A...

[APOLLO 11] BUZZ ALDRIN STRIDING ACROSS THE SEA OF TRANQUILLITY WITH SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT Neil Armstrong, 16-24 July 1969 Printed 1969. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-40-5944]. Numbered 'NASA AS11-40-5944' in red in the top margin, with 'A Kodak Paper' watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context This Apollo 11 photograph embodies the fusion of exploration, science, and human achievement. Buzz Aldrin searches for a stable spot to deploy the first scientific site on another world, known as the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package (EASEP). He carries the seismometer in his left hand and the Laser Ranging Retroreflector (LRRR) in his right as he navigates the uneven lunar surface. In the one-sixth gravity of the Moon, Aldrin carefully manoeuvres across an area scattered with fragments of broken rock near a small crater (foreground), looking for a level site to position the LRRR. His deep footprints in the crater's soft rim contrast with the shallower impressions in the firmer terrain beyond, where he was standing when Neil Armstrong captured this astonishing image. Footnotes: The scientific experiments had to be deployed at a safe distance to prevent damage from the LM Eagle's ascent stage rocket blast at liftoff. Aldrin placed the LRRR approximately 14 meters south-southwest of the LM and the seismometer slightly farther away at 19 meters. From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken: 110:57:50 Aldrin: (To Neil) Okay; have you got us a good area picked out? 110:57:53 Armstrong: Well, I think right out on that rise out there is probably as good as any. (Pause) 110:58:06 Aldrin: Right over here? 110:58:08 Armstrong: Let's probably stay on the high ground there and...(Pause) 110:58:16 Aldrin: Watch it. The edge of that crater is really soft. 110:58:19 Armstrong: Yeah; that's real soft there, isn't it? 110:58:24 Aldrin: (To Neil) Get a couple of close-ups on these quite rounded, large boulders. 110:58:44 Armstrong: About 40 feet out; I'd say out at the end of that next... 110:58:50 Aldrin: Well, it's going to be a little difficult to find a good level spot here. Literature LIFE, 11 August 1969 Watch more CLICK HERE: Apollo 11 Moonwalk Part 3 of 4 For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing