399 a
Richard Gordon, Pete Conrad, or Alan Bean

Telephotograph of the Crescent Earth seen during translunar coast

Apollo 12, November 14-24, 1969, 008:23:22 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 AS12-50-7361” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin

399 b
Richard Gordon

The streaked window of the Command Module Yankee Clipper during translunar coast

Apollo 12, November 14-24, 1969

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 (NASA / North American Rockwell) [NASA AS12-50-7369]

399 c
Richard Gordon

View of the edge of the docked Lunar Module during the spacecraft’s journey to the Moon

Apollo 12, November 14-24, 1969

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 (NASA / North American Rockwell) [NASA AS12-50-7374]
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

399 b
Schick and Van Haaften, p. 83; Light, plate 113.

399 c
Schick and Van Haaften, p.81

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Lot Essay

399 a
This fantastic photograph was taken with the 250mm telephoto lens as the spacecraft was about 40,000 nautical miles from Earth.

008:23:01 Bean: Hey, we’re looking at you down there, Houston, and now you’re about the size of a volleyball.
008:23:11 Gibson (Mission Control): Al, how far away is that volleyball?
008:23:14 Bean: I’d say that volleyball’s about 2 feet away.
008:23:20 Gibson: Good eye, Al.
008:23:22 Bean: I can’t see any landmass at all. All I can see is water with lots of clouds, and I can see sort of a glare point on the Earth. I think that must be the zero phase point to us. Other than that, it’s very, very bright. And another interesting thing is, on the dark side, you cannot see where the Earth stops and space begins. It’s unlike the Moon at night on in the daytime where you can see it in earthshine. You just can’t see anything. [...]
008:24:52 Public Affairs Officer (Mission Control): Earlier you heard a description from Al Bean as he viewed the Earth from Apollo 12’s present altitude of 39,687 nautical miles.

399 b
“According to National Space Science Data Center document NSSDC-70-11 (July 1970), this photo shows the ‘fouled hatch window; streaks go (left) away from the CMS cone (right)’. This photo was taken inside the Command Module during the translunar coast” (ALSJ caption for AS12-50-7369).

“The condensation inside the glass window of the hatch was due to a design flaw which was corrected on later flights” (Light, caption 113).

“Spaceflights were often reconnaissance missions and dirty portholes could make that job impossible,” noted author Jeffrey Kluger. “Gas trapped between layers of glass or moisture picked up on the way out of the atmosphere could make windows impossible to use, though the fogging or streaking would often clear up as the sun warmed the spacecraft skin. The public saw only the pretty pictures shot through clear windows, but here the Apollo 12 crew took a shot to show NASA the challenges they faced” (http://time.com/unseen-apollo/).

399 c
The LM docking target is clearly visible in this photograph taken from the Command Module docked with the LM.