Dean Conger; NASA [Mercury Redstone 3]

Name: The dramatic recovery of the first American in space, May 5, 1961
Brand: Dean Conger; NASA [Mercury Redstone 3]
Price: 600.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised GBP 750

Estimate

GBP 1,500 - GBP 2,500

Closed: 19 Nov 2020

Loading details

Try our

The dramatic recovery of the first American in space, May 5, 1961

Dean Conger; NASA [Mercury Redstone 3]

Price Realised GBP 750

Closed: 19 Nov 2020

Price Realised GBP 750

Closed: 19 Nov 2020

Details Lot Essay Related Articles More from

27 a
Dean Conger

Alan Shepard’s helicopter recovery after Freedom 7 spacecraft’s successful splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean

Mercury Redstone 3, May 5, 1961

Two vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA HQ captions on the versos

27 b
Dean Conger

Alan Shepard’s helicopter recovery after the first American suborbital flight

Mercury Redstone 3, May 5, 1961

Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA HQ caption numbered “61- MR3-96A” on the verso

27 c
NASA / Unidentified Photographer and Dean Conger

Alan Shepard’s triumphant arrival aboard the carrier USS Lake Champlain

Mercury Redstone 3, May 5, 1961

Two vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA HQ captions on the versos

27 d
Dean Conger

The first American in space Alan Shepard and the Freedom 7 spacecraft back from space on the carrier USS Lake Champlain

Mercury Redstone 3, May 5, 1961

Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA HQ caption numbered “61- MR3-105” on the verso
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

27 a
Life Magazine, pp. 26-27 (first photograph).

27 c
Life magazine, May 12, 1961, pp. 31-32 (second photograph).

27 d
Life Magazine, May 12, 1961, pp. 18-19.

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

Brought to you by

James Hyslop

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

jhyslop@christies.com +44 (0)20 7752 3205

Lot Essay

“Dramatic moment of recovery comes as Astronaut Shepard is hauled out of sea by one of three hovering helicopters sent out from aircraft carrier Lake Champlain. Landing on target exactly 15 minutes after launch, the capsule released a green dye marker. Shepard climbed through the hatch and was riding in helicopter within four minutes” (Life magazine, May 12, 1961, p. 27).

“The landing did not seem any more severe than a catapult shot from an aircraft carrier. The spacecraft hit and then flopped on its side so that I was on my right side. I felt that I could immediately execute an underwater escape should it become necessary. [...] I could see the water covering one porthole, I could see the yellow dye marker out the other porthole and, later on, I could see one of the helicopters through the periscope. The spacecraft righted itself slowly and I began to read the cockpit instruments for data purposes after impact. I found very little time for that since the helicopter was already calling me,” related Alan Shepard (Flight’s Pilot Report).

This famous photograph graced the cover of Life Magazine (‘AOK!’ THE US IS IN SPACE, May 12, 1961).

Dean Conger was one of the National Geographic Society’s most famous photographers. He was named Newspaper Photographer of the Year three times during the 1950s and Magazine Photographer of the Year in the 1962 Pictures of the Year competition.

“I made an egress as shown in the training movie; that is, I sat on the edge of the door sill until the helicopter sling came my way. The hoist itself was uneventful.”
Alan Shepard (Pilot’s Flight Report)

“Crew members of the U.S. Navy Carrier Champlain cheer and take pictures of the arrival of the first Project Mercury pilot to fly a suborbital flight, astronaut Alan Shepard. Helicopter recovery teams recovered Astronaut Shepard and the spacecraft to the deck of the carrier” (NASA caption, second photograph).

“Alan Shepard strides across the deck of the U.S. Navy Carrier Champlain following an inspection of his spacecraft” (NASA caption).

Only a half hour after liftoff, the space pioneer came triumphantly aboard the carrier Lake Champlain after the pickup helicopter had deposited his capsule on deck. His first words after the mission were “Man, what a ride!”