585 a
Taken by the RCA TV camera mounted on the Lunar Rover and operated by Ed Fendell at Mission Control

TV pictures at Plum Crater, station 1

Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972, EVA 1

Four unpublished photographs, vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), stamped “RCA Astro-Electronics 72-5-545, 71-5-546, 71-5-547 and 72-5-548” on the versos (NASA / RCA)

585 b
Charles Duke

John Young taking photographs near the Lunar Rover, station 1

Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972, EVA 1, 123:45:58 GET

Unreleased photograph, vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), numbered “NASA AS16-109-17800” (NASA MSC) in black in top margin

585 c
John Young

Footprints near Plum Crater at station 1

Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972, EVA 1, 123:50:47 GET

Unreleased photograph, vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso, numbered “NASA AS16-114-18408” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin

585 d
TV pictures of the astronauts collecting, photographing and gathering lunar samples at Plum crater, station 1

Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972, EVA 1

Four unpublished photographs, vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), stamped “RCA Astro-Electronics 72-5-549, 72-5-550, 72-5-551, 72-5-552” on the versos (NASA / RCA)

585 e
Charles Duke

John Young with the lunar hammer in hand in front of Plum Crater, station 1

Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972, EVA 1, 123:58:46 GET

Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA HQ caption on the verso [NASA AS16-109-17804]

585 f
John Young

Plum Crater, station 1

Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972, EVA 1, 124:02:22 GET

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 AS16-114-18422” in red in top margin
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

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Lot Essay

585 a
These B&W reproductions from a color TV transmission show different aspects of the
moonscape at station 1 and the astronauts working near the Lunar Rover.

“Plum Crater was to be the first of our geological stations,” recalled Charles Duke. “We had driven the rover to the west looking for Station 1. Many craters look very similar as we drove so at first we were unsure as to exactly where we were located. But then we came upon Flag/Plum and knew we were right on” (Constantine, p. 95).

585 b
Station 1 was located approximately 1400 meters west of the LM Orion near the rim of Plum Crater, a 40-m diameter crater on the rim of the 300-m diameter Flag Crater.

Duke took this photograph to document the location of a sample collected and photographed by Young near Plum Crater. Stone Mountain is in the background.

“This view of Stone Mountain got me thinking if the Rover would make the climb up to the Cinco
Craters on EVA-2. It did with no problem. To the right of the Rover on the rim of Plum is a rock sample we collected which turned out to be the largest of all our samples. We called it Big Muley after our geology team leader Bill Muehulberger,” recalled Charles Duke (Constantine, p. 93).

585 c
Young took this photograph to document the location of a soil sample (to the left of the gnomon)
collected by the crew using a shovel. The gnomon is used as a photographic reference to establish local vertical Sun angle, scale, and lunar color.

123:50:01 Duke: Okay, soil sample coming up. (Pause) Ah! Bend, suit. Okay. [...]
123:50:33 Young: Charlie, you’re gonna fall down here with all these rocks (in your Sample Collection Bag).
123:50:37 Duke: (Giggling) No. I’ll give you the shovel in just a minute when I fill up, and we’ll swap.
123:50:42 Young: Okay.
123:50:44 Duke: This shovel is a great tool, I’ll tell you.
123:50:47 Young: Okay, I got it (the picture). [...]
123:50:53 England (Mission Control): You guys look like you’re having a ball.
123:50:57 Duke: (Responding to England) We are.
123:50:58 Young: It really is fun.

585 d
Duke and Young are near the Lunar Rover on the east rim of Plum Crater in these B&W reproductions from a color TV transmission.

“In much of the live footage broadcast back to Earth, it was clear that Young and Duke felt very comfortable on the lunar surface, moving around easily and often taking advantage of the low gravity environment” (Phillipson, p. 223).

585 e
“Young is getting into position to break a sample off a partially-buried boulder on the west rim of Plum crater. The Lunar Rover is on the east rim of Plum Crater. The flash of light in front of Young’s visor is a light reflection on the camera lens” (ALSJ caption for AS16-109-17804).

The gnomon is deployed in the center of the picture.

123:57:44 Duke: Okay, Tony, this is a subrounded boulder that’s a meter to a meter and a half across. [...]
123:58:06 Duke: And it’s partially buried. [...]
123:58:35 Duke: Ah, here he comes, folks! He’s got the hammer out. I knew he couldn’t resist.
123:58:46 Young: I don’t know if this will work or not, Charlie, but I couldn’t pick a better spot.
123:58:56 England (Mission Control): Here we go.
123:58:58 Duke: Going to do it.
123:58:59 Duke: There’s a piece. Let me hold you down a little bit.
123:59:05 Duke: Hot dog! He did it. It’s a very friable rock, apparently, Houston.

585 f
A frame from the panoramic sequence taken by Young at station 1 “near the partially-buried boulder on the far rim of Plum Crater from the Rover. It shows most of Plum Crater. Part of the boulder is at the lower left. Note the bench on the east wall of Plum, which may represent the base of the regolith” (ALSJ caption for AS16-114-18422).

The steep Plum Crater is 40 m in diameter and 10 m deep.

124:01:45 England (Mission Control): If you have time, can we do a second pan from here?
124:01:50 Young: Yeah, I’m supposed to do that, ain’t I?
124:01:53 Duke: Yeah, I was just thinking about that. That’d be a good idea. We’re right on the rim of...(To England) We’re really right on the rim...This rock’s right on the rim of both Plum and Flag.

“Plum was smaller but no less dangerous than its bigger brother Flag.”
Charles Duke (Constantine, p. 93)