554 a
Alfred Worden

Orbital landscapes seen from the Command spacecraft Endeavour

Apollo 15, July 26 - August 7, 1971, orbit 37

Three unreleased photographs (AS15-94-12846 excepted), vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), numbered “NASA AS15-94-12837, AS15-94-12842, AS15-94-12846” (NASA MSC) in black in top margin

554 b
James Irwin

The Command Module Endeavour approaching the LM for lunar orbital rendezvous

Apollo 15, July 26 - August 7, 1971, orbit 49, 173:14:11 GET

Set of two unreleased photographs, vintage chromogenic prints on fiber-based Kodak paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in) and with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso, numbered “NASA AS15-89-11956, AS15-89-11960” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin, each with three filing holes in top margin

554 c
Alfred Worden

The ascent stage of the LM Falcon returning from the Moon’s surface

Apollo 15, July 26 - August 7, 1971, orbit 49, 173:15:44 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 AS15-96-13035” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

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Lot Essay

554 a
These photographs of magazine 94/S were taken 115km above the Earth through the 80mm lens during orbit 37 over the 27-km Crater Proclus (bottom left) and the 63-km Crater Macrobius (at the center) in the western Sea of Crises (21.5 N 46 E); over the 40-km Crater Romer in the Taurus Mountains (21.5 N 36 E); and over the Littrow area on the eastern edge of the Sea of Serenity (22.5 N 26 E). The future landing site of Apollo 17 (Taurus-Littrow valley) is the dark area at the bottom of the last photograph.

554 b
Irwin took the photographs looking south east over the eastern shore of the Sea of Fertility with the 60mm lens and the transparent glass reseau plate engraved with grid markings of the lunar surface Hasselblad camera (Apollo 15 was the only crew with Apollo 17 to bring back cameras from the surface).

“The final stages of rendezvous and docking on all Apollo lunar flights have been the subject of intensive documentation and Apollo 15 is no exception. Both spacecrafts are photographing the arrival of the other on still and movie film, and the approaching Falcon is being televised by Worden to Mission Control and the world“ (from the AFJ mission transcript at 173:14:11 GET).

554 c
Alfred Worden took the photograph from the orbiting Command Module Endeavour at an altitude of about 100km above the lunar surface.

173:15:44 Scott: Okay, Houston. We’re station-keeping at about 120 feet [37 m] or so.

“Flying the Lunar Module is a very demanding task. It’s the toughest flying job, and I’ve flown a lot of stuff, the toughest flying job I ever had.“
David Scott (Chaikin, Voices, p. 48)