[Apollo 11] — A Photographic Review of the Apollo 11 Mission. Set of twelve vintage NASA "red number" color photographs

[Apollo 11]

A Photographic Review of the Apollo 11 Mission

Twelve vintage NASA “Red Number” chromogenic prints, 8 x 10 in., with a “A Kodak Paper” watermark on verso. NASA image IDs printed in red (one in blue) in the upper left margin. Photos taken using a 70mm Hasselblad camera.

A collection of vintage NASA red number prints of the pivotal images from the Apollo 11 mission, as follows:

NASA S-69-36911: Taken on an unknown date prior to the launch of the APOLLO 11 mission, this photo shows Commander Neil Armstrong with Robert R. Gilruth, the first director of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center, standing in front of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV, or the "Flying Bedstead"), a research vehicle designed to fairly accurately simulate the behavior of the lunar lander.

NASA S-69-31741: Taken on July 11, 1969, this photo is the official pre-flight portrait of Commander Neil Armstrong, wearing his spacesuit, posing in front of a backdrop of the lunar surface. 

NASA S-69-39779: Taken from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16, 1969, at 13:32 UTC, this photograph shows the Saturn V rocket igniting and launching the APOLLO 11 mission.

NASA AS11-44-6598: Taken from the CSM by Command Module Pilot Michael Collins on July 20, 1969, this photograph depicts the Lunar Module just after undocking from the CSM. Printed in blue ink on verso: "APOLLO 11 LM VIEWED FROM CSM---The Apollo 11 Lunar Module, in / a lunar landing configuration, is photographed in lunar orbit / from the Command and Service Modules. Inside the LM were Astro- / nauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., / lunar module pilot. Astronaut Michael Collins, command module / pilot. Astronaut Michael Collins, command module / pilot, remained with the CSM in lunar orbit while Armstrong / and Aldrin descended in the LM to explore the lunar surface."

NASA AS11-37-5437: Taken on July 20, 1969, this photograph depicts the Lunar Module's approach to Apollo 11 Landing Site 2, located in the southwestern region of the Sea of Tranquility (seen right of center, directly above the large crater, at the edge of the darkness). Previously, on February 8, 1968, NASA's Apollo Site Selection Board announced five potential landing sites. These prospective sites were the product of two years of study of high-resolution photography. The landing site needed to be close to the lunar equator in order to minimize the amount of propellant required, clear of obstacles to keep complex maneuvering to a minimum, and flat to simplify the actual process of landing. The initial requirement that the site be free of craters had to be relaxed, as this proved impossible. 

NASA AS11-40-5848: Taken on July 20, 1969, this photo shows the barren lunar surface of the Tranquility Base landing site, as taken from the window of the Lunar Module. Written in blue ink on verso: "APOLLO 11".

NASA AS11-37-5504: Taken by Commander Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969, this photo shows the Tranquility Base (Apollo 11 lunar landing site), as viewed from the Lunar Module.

NASA AS11-40-5867: Taken by Commander Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969, this incredible photo shows Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin descending the ladder of the LM just moments before becoming the second man to set foot on the lunar surface.

NASA S-69-40308: Taken on July 20, 1969, this enlargement of a 16mm Maurer motion picture frame (data acquisition camera mounted in the LM window) shows the deployment of the U.S. flag on the lunar surface. Commander Neil Armstrong is seen on the left holding the flag's staff, with Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin seen on right with arm outstretched to the flag itself.

NASA AS11-40-5964: Taken on July 20, 1969 by Commander Neil Armstrong, this fantastic image shows Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin hammering a core tube into the lunar surface in order to deploy the Solar Wind Composition experiment. Printed in blue ink on verso: "APOLLO 11 ON MOON -- Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module / pilot, is photographed during the Apollo 11 extravehicular ac- / tivity on the Moon. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took / this picture with a 70mm lunar surface camera. Aldrin has just / deployed the Solar Wind Composition experiment, a component of / the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package (EASEP)."

NASA AS11-44-6634: Taken from the Command Module, Columbia, on July 21, 1969, this remarkable photograph shows the Lunar Module, Eagle, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard, ascending from the lunar surface just before orbit rendezvous, with Earthrise in the background. Printed in blue ink on verso: "APOLLO 11 LM VIEWED FROM CSM/EARTHRISE - - The Apollo 11 Lunar / Module ascent stage, with Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and / Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. aboard, is photographed from the Command / and Service Module in lunar orbit. This view is looking west / with the Earth rising above the lunar horizon. Astronaut Michael / Collins remained with the CSM in lunar orbit while Armstrong and / Aldrin explored the Moon. The LM is approaching from below. / The mare area in the background is Smyth's Sea. At right center / in International Astronomical Union crater No. 189."

NASA S-69-34875: The official emblem of Apollo 11, symbolizing America's peaceful mission in space. Apollo 11 was the first scheduled lunar landing mission, and this official NASA mission emblem depicts an eagle, holding an olive branch, descending toward the lunar surface.