Name: First photograph and first panorama on the surface of the Moon, February 3, 1966
Brand: Luna 9
Price: 5500.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

13 a
Taken by a camera mounted to the Luna 9 robotic spacecraft

The first photograph on the surface of the Moon

Luna 9, February 3, 1966

Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 18 x 22.8cm, original wire press photo with Associated Press caption dated “2/5/66” on the verso

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Taken by a camera mounted to the Luna 9 robotic spacecraft

First panorama (in three parts) on the surface of the Moon

Luna 9, February 3, 1966

Three adjoining photographs, vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper, original wire press photos, the first 14 x 25.4cm, the second and third 20.6 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), and with Associated Press caption dated “2/7/66” on the verso
20.6 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

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Lot Essay

13 a
[Associated Press caption] Soviet lunar view
TASS, Soviet picture agency, released in Moscow Febr. 5 this picture of the Moon, transmitted by Soviet spacecraft Luna 9. The photo was made with the help of elevated mirrors.

On 3 February 1966 the Luna 9 spacecraft became the first spacecraft to achieve a survivable landing on another celestial body. Luna 9 thumped down on the vast lava plain known as the Ocean of Storms (Oceanus Procellarum). Its landing configuration used air bags to cushion its fall.
This historic first picture from the surface of another world was transmitted from the turret camera in the cylinder on top of the robotic spacecraft.

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Luna 9, which was only powered by batteries, lasted three days, enough to transmit four panoramas from very close to the surface, including this one.

“The probe also proved that the lunar surface could support the weight of a lander and that an object would not sink into a loose layer of dust as some models predicted” (https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-006A).

“The pictures are said to show a 360° panoramic view of the Moon’s surface as seen by Luna 9. The first two pictures in this sequence show parts of Luna 9’s unfolding, petal-like panels which protected the camera during flight. The russian caption accompanying these photos said that objects measuring only one or two millimeters could be seen if they were located very close to the lunar station; and that objects several meters in size were visible on the horizon. The horizon was said to be one and a half km from the station. The narrow image in the center of the last photo was said to be caused by a mirror on Luna 9’s apparatus reflecting another portion of the Moon’s surface. Russian captions also said these pictures were made on the eastern extremity of the Moon’s Oceanus Procellarum” (from the press captions).