178 a
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

The first Saturn V rocket on Pad 39A at Sunset

Apollo 4, November 1967

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso

178 b
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

Mating of the first two stages of the first Saturn V rocket

Apollo 4, June 18, 1967

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA caption on a separate page and “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso, with filing holes in left margin

178 c
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

The first Saturn V rocket fully erected in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center

Apollo 4, June 21, 1967

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA caption on a separate page and “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso, with filing holes in left margin

178 d
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

Launch Control Center at the Kennedy Space Center getting ready for its first mission

Apollo 4, October 1967

Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA HQ caption numbered “67- H-1364” on the verso

178 e
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

The first Saturn V rocket on Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center

Apollo 4, November 8, 1967

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA MSC caption and “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso, numbered “NASA S-67-50530” in red in top margin
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

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Lot Essay

178 a
In the early evening of Nov. 8, 1967, the 363-foot tall first Saturn V launch vehicle stands ready for liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center five years after President John F. Kennedy’s speech to a crowd at Rice University in Houston on Sept. 12, 1962, explaining some of the challenges of going to the Moon.

“If we shall send to the Moon, 240,000 miles away ... a giant rocket, ... made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of withstanding heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than the finest watch -- then we must be bold.”
President John F. Kennedy, speech at Rice University, September 12, 1962

178 b
[NASA caption] 18 June 1967 Cape Kennedy, Florida
Interior view of the Vehicle Assembly Building of Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center showing the interface of the first and second stages of the AS 501 launch vehicle during assembly of the two stages.

178 c
[NASA caption] 21 June 1967 Cape Kennedy, Florida.
Topside view taken in the Vehicle Assembly Building of Launch Complex 39 showing the launch umbilical tower (painted in red in the background); the retracted service platforms, which provide all around access to the vehicle; and the first vehicle AS 501 fully erected.

178 d
Apollo 4 was the first mission conducted by the Launch Control Center (LCC), a four-story building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center constructed to manage launches of the Saturn V rocket from nearby Launch Complex 39.

“Nearly 500 engineers, managers, technicians and specialists will be taking part when the final countdown on Apollo 4 begins” (NASA caption).

178 e
“High-angle view of Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, showing the Apollo 4 (Spacecraft 017/Saturn 501) unmanned, Earth-orbital space mission being readied for launch” (NASA caption).

The mission would be the first to liftoff from the Florida spaceport, Launch Complex 39, specially constructed for the giant Moon rocket, representing a major milestone in NASA’s efforts to land humans on the Moon.