150 a
James Lovell or Buzz Aldrin

Rendezvous with the Agena over the Earth

Gemini XII, November 11-15, 1966, orbit 3, 004:09:00 GET

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 S-66-62755” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin

150 b
Taken by a 16mm Maurer camera held by Buzz Aldrin or James Lovell

Total solar eclipse

Gemini XII, November 11-15, 1966, orbit 12

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-66-63415” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

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Lot Essay

150 a
The American flag is clearly visible on the Agena Docking Target Vehicle, about 50 feet away, in this superb photograph taken with the Maurer space camera and its 80mm lens.

004:06:47 Aldrin: That’s pretty bright there right now. [...]
004:07:54 Lovell: Why don’t we get ready to go right in and Dock.
004:07:59 Aldrin: Okay.
004:08:21 Lovell: Now, that ought to be a pretty good shot.
004:08:26 Lovell: At 25 feet.04:08:28 Lovell: That’s pretty good. Hey, take some stills, Buzz. Stills are the thing. These movies don’t come out at all. Just keep taking shots.
004:08:38 Lovell: Movies aren’t worth a darn. That’s a beautiful shot right there, 25 feet. That’s f:11, 1/250th.
004:08:43 Aldrin: Right on it.
004:08:47 Capcom (Mission Control): Gemini XII, CSQ (Coastal Senstry Quebec).
004:08:49 Lovell Roger, CSQ. Gemini XII here.
004:08:5S Capcom: Roger. How are you doing up there?
004:08:55 Lovell: Oh we’re taking pictures of the beautiful Agena here. Everything’s okay. [...]
004:09:52 Capcom: We’re giving you a GO for Docking.

150 b
Capturing this amazing picture of an eclipse seen from space was not originally in the mission plan.

“During insertion of the Agena Target Vehicle into orbit an anomaly was noted in the primary propulsion system, so the plan to use the Agena to lift the docked spacecraft into a higher orbit was abandoned. Instead, two phasing maneuvers using the Agena secondary propulsion system were accomplished to allow the spacecraft to rendezvous with the November 12 total eclipse over South America at about 9:20 a.m. EST with the crew taking pictures through the spacecraft windows” (https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-104A).

016:06:26 Capcom (Mission Control): Roger. How’d the eclipse photography go?
016:06:29 Lovell: Well, we hit the eclipse right on the money.