471 a
Edgar Mitchell

Alan Shepard’s first steps on the lunar surface, seen from the LM Antares

Apollo 14, January 31 - February 9, 1971, EVA 1, 113:52:32 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 AS14-66-9229” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin, with three filing holes in top margin

471 b
Edgar Mitchell

Alan Shepard on the lunar surface, seen from the LM Antares

Apollo 14, January 31 - February 9, 1971, EVA 1, 113:52:32 GET

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based GAF paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with “GAF” watermarks on the verso, numbered “NASA G-71- 3273” (NASA Goddard) in black in bottom margin [NASA AS14-66-9230]
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

471 b
Chaikin, Space p.114; Chaikin, Voices, p.56.

471 a
Zürich, Kunsthaus, Salzburg, Museum der Moderne, Fly me to the Moon, March-June 2019 and July- November 2019; exhibition catalogue, p. 361, no. 47.

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Lot Essay

471 a
While Stuart Roosa remained aloft in lunar orbit, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell touched down on the Moon in the hilly Fra Mauro region, previously planned as the landing site for Apollo 13.

Mitchell took the photograph from his LMP window after Shepard descended the LM ladder to walk on the Moon. Shepard is lowering his gold-plated outer visor against the glare of the lunar Sun, looking up toward Cone Crater.

NASA released a variant (NASA AS14-66-9230) of this photograph after the mission; and the two photographs are the only pictures taken during the Apollo missions showing an astronaut on the lunar surface as seen from the window of the spacecraft.

From the mission transcript as Shepard took his first step on the Moon:

113:50:52 McCandless (Mission Control): Beautiful! We can see you coming down the ladder right now. It looks like you’re about on the bottom step. (Pause) And on the surface. Not bad for an old man.
113:51:26 Shepard: Okay, you’re right. (referring to himself in the third person) Al is on the surface. And it’s been a long way, but we’re here. (Pause) Well, I can see the reason we have a tilt is because we landed on a slope. The landing gear struts appear to be about evenly depressed.

471 b
Ed Mitchell took the photograph through his LMP (Lunar Module Pilot) window. Shepard lowers his gold-plated outer visor against the glare of the lunar sun, looking up toward Cone Crater.

113:52:32 Shepard: Okay, we’ll move on over. Take a look at Fra Mauro...(correcting himself) take a look at Cone Crater, I should say, which is right where it should be, and is a very impressive sight. You can see the boulders near the rim...
113:52:53 McCandless (Mission Control): Antares, this is Houston. You are Go for two-man EVA. Over.
113:53:01 Mitchell: Roger, Houston. Thank you.
113:53:06 Shepard: And, continuing, we can see the boulders on the rim. It looks as though we have a good traverse route up to the top of Cone. I can see Cone Ridge going along to the north. That’s very apparent. (Pause) I’m moving over to adjust the MESA.