133: First Moonrise: Full Moon rising over the Earth horizon, James Lovell [Gemini VII], 4-18 December 1965 < One Giant Leap for Mankind: Vintage Photographs from the Victor Martin-Malburet Collection, 28 October 2022 < Auctions | Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

One Giant Leap for Mankind: Vintage Photographs from the Victor Martin-Malburet Collection

28 October 2022

One Giant Leap for Mankind: Vintage Photographs from the Victor Martin-Malburet Collection

, First Moonrise: Full Moon rising over the Earth horizon, James Lovell [Gemini VII], 4-18 December 1965 - Image 1 of 3

, First Moonrise: Full Moon rising over the Earth horizon, James Lovell [Gemini VII], 4-18 December 1965 - Image 2 of 3

, First Moonrise: Full Moon rising over the Earth horizon, James Lovell [Gemini VII], 4-18 December 1965 - Image 3 of 3

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First Moonrise: Full Moon rising over the Earth horizon, James Lovell [Gemini VII], 4-18 December 1965

printed 1965
vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper 8 h × 10 w in (20 × 25 cm)

estimate: $2,000–3,000

result: $1,250

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A fantastic photograph of the Full Moon over the Pacific Ocean, seen from the Gemini VII spacecraft during its historic 14-day mission in space. The nose of the spacecraft is at lower left.
Numbered to upper margin 'NASA S-65-63872' with NASA MSC caption and 'A Kodak Paper' watermarks to verso.

note: Media visuals referencing the original NASA photograph(s) not included.
literature: LIFE, 7 January 1966, ppg. 24-25 Moon: Man’s Greatest Adventure, Thomas, ed., pg. 118-119 The View from Space: American Astronaut Photography, 1962–1972, Schick and Van Haaften, pg. 55 Exploring Space with a Camera (NASA SP-168), Cortright, ed., pg. 155

A fantastic photograph of the Full Moon over the Pacific Ocean, seen from the Gemini VII spacecraft during its historic 14-day mission in space. The nose of the spacecraft is at lower left. The picture was taken with a 70mm handheld Hasselblad 500 C camera and its 80mm lens, using Kodak (SO217 medium) speed film.

Gemini VII was the first crew to bring back photographs of the Moon from space, rising over the Earth horizon.

LIFE, 7 January 1966

“Once the Apollo program was under way, it dawned on me that soon somebody was going to be taking a picture of the Earth from the Moon, so I took this picture of the Moon. When we got there on Apollo 8, we took the Earthrise photograph; they were like before-and-after pictures.”

—James Lovell (Schick and Van Haaften, pg. 55)

“The Moon varied greatly during the 2 weeks of flight. Jim [Lovell] took this picture of the full Moon as a symbol of our next goal in manned space flight, the lunar landing. I think it also dramatizes the difference between mere orbital flight and the future adventures that will take Man a quarter of a million miles into the ocean of space.”

—Frank Borman (Cortright, pg. 155)

Learn More about this Collection

Read The Photography of Another World: The Artistic Heritage of Apollo (1961-1972)

Explore the Timeline for Project Apollo: Manned Space Missions, 1961-1972

View a complete listing of Resources and References

© All texts by Victor Martin-Malburet

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