626 a
Harrison Schmitt

The limb of the Earth at Sunrise during translunar injection

Apollo 17, December 7-19, 1972, 003:17:23 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 AS17-148-22668” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin

626 b
Harrison Schmitt, Eugene Cernan, or Ronald Evans

The Saturn V - LM Adapter panels tumbling over the Earth after CSM separation from the Saturn SIVB third stage

Apollo 17, December 7-19, 1972, 003:44:10 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 AS17-148-22680” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin

626 c
Harrison Schmitt, Eugene Cernan, or Ronald Evans

The “Blue Marble” appearing in the window of the spacecraft heading to the Moon

Apollo 17, December 7-19, 1972, 003:44:10 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 AS17-148-22700” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

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Lot Essay

626 a
Schmitt took this amazing photograph through the 80mm lens.

“When we burned out of Earth orbit, we started the burn in darkness and flew right on through a sunrise during the TLI burn. This was pretty spectacular. We shut down in daylight and had no other visual sightings at that point in time,” said Eugene Cernan (1973 NASA Technical debrief).

003:17:16 Overmyer (Mission Control): Roger. How do you read me? You are Go, by the way.
003:17:23 Cernan: Okay, we got you that time. Understand we’re Go on the ground, and we’re still Go here, and we’re TLI-ing right through sunrise.

626 b
The LM Adapter panels are visible on top of the Earth, with debris in the black sky of space. They are tumbling as it and the spacecraft depart Earth vicinity.
The LM was still attached to the Saturn V third stage when that photograph was taken with the 80mm lens during transposition before docking. The Earth is centered over Africa.

“As soon as we turned around for docking I could see three of the four SLA panels tumbling slowly in space. This is not unusual. That’s been seen before,” noted Eugene Cernan (1973 NASA Technical debrief, from the AFJ mission transcript at 003:43:35 GET).

003:43:33 Evans: Hey, look at that burst. It’s going to be bright as all get out.
003:43:35 Cernan: And there goes one of the SLA panels.
003:43:42 Evans: Yes.
003:43:51 Evans: We’re not there yet. Long ways to go yet. It’s on the other side of the Earth, if the simulator’s any good.
003:44:08 Evans: Oh, man!
003:44:09 Cernan: There goes another SLA panel, Houston, going the other way.

626 c
“ Like our childhood home, we really see the Earth only as we prepare to leave it. ”
Harrison Schmitt (NASA SP-350, p. 265)