Beschreibung:

[Apollo 13] Critical jettison of the damaged Service Module and lifeboat LM Aquarius prior to Earth reentry. Jack Swigert or Fred Haise, 11–17 April 1970. Printed 1970. Two vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper [NASA image AS13–59-8539, AS13–59-8553]. Each 25.4×20.3 cm (10×8 in), numbered “NASA AS13–59-8539“, “NASA AS13–59-8553” in black in top margin (NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas). (2). Two very rare unreleased photographs exposed with the 60mm lens of the lunar surface Hasselblad 500 EL Data Camera and B&W magazine 59/R from the near-disastrous journey of Apollo 13. The Service Module had been due to take them back to Earth but an entire panel had been blown away by the explosion of an oxygen tank on the way to the Moon and the LM Aquarius became a crucial lifeboat to go back to Earth. Due to the unusual spacecraft configuration resulting from retaining the LM, entry procedures had to be modified. First came the separation of the damaged Service Module. Then the Command Module Odyssey was powered up and the crew transferred back to the CM. The LM was then undocked. (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_13/). The first photograph was exposed from the lifeboat LM Aquarius following the jettison in deep space of the damaged Service Module prior to Earth reentry. Apollo 13 was the only mission to bring back such a photograph of the Service Module in space. The now very distant Moon is in the background. “Four hours before landing, we shed the Service module; Mission Control had insisted on retaining it until then because everyone feared what the cold of space might do to the unsheltered CM heat shield. I’m glad we weren’t able to see the SM earlier. With one whole panel missing, and wreckage hanging out, it was a sorry mess as it drifted away.” James Lovell (NASA SP-350, p. 13.5). The second was taken during the undocking of the LM Aquarius about 11,000 nautical miles from Earth just over one hour before splashdown. Getting ready for reentry in the powered up Command Module, the astronauts could see the reflection of their Home Planet (a slice of Earth) in the docking window of the lifeboat LM which saved their lives. The RCS thrusters are in the center of the picture. A footpad is barely visible at the left. “A most remarkable achievement of Mission Control was quickly developing procedures for powering up the CM after its long cold sleep. They wrote the documents for this innovation in three days, instead of the usual three months. We found the CM a cold, clammy tin can when we started to power up. The walls, ceiling, floor, wire harnesses, and panels were all covered with droplets of water. We suspected conditions were the same behind the panels. The chances of short circuits caused us apprehension, to say the least. But thanks to the safeguards built into the Command Module after the disastrous fire in January 1967, no arcing took place. The droplets furnished one sensation as we decelerated in the atmosphere: it rained inside the CM.” James Lovell (NASA SP-350,p. 262). Condition Semi glossy prints in excellent condition. Preview In Lyngby Auction Space, 15 November 2023 Category Photos ▸ Vintage photographs Selling 15 November at 6:46 pm Estimate 4,000–5,000 DKK
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