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 
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First live B&W TV picture from a manned American spacecraft: Donn Eisele in weightlessness, NASA [Apollo 7], 11-22 October 1968

printed 1967
vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper 8 h × 10 w in (20 × 25 cm)
estimate: $700–1,000
result: $94
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Beginning on the third day of the mission, TV viewers on Earth witnessed the first live television signals broadcast to the ground from a manned American spacecraft. The telecast opened with a sign that read ‘From the lovely Apollo room high atop everything’.

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Beginning on the third day of the mission, TV viewers on Earth witnessed the first live television signals broadcast to the ground from a manned American spacecraft. The telecast opened with a sign that read ‘From the lovely Apollo room high atop everything.'

It was one of seven historic broadcasts during the mission that included views through the window, spacecraft tours, and demonstrations of weightlessness and food preparation.

Read more: Apollo 7 Mission Overview, Lunar and Planetary Institute 

Allowing the 4.5-pound RCA video camera on board the spacecraft was a source of serious debate in NASA councils but these historic TV images were precious and served as educational moments for the public. The seven telecasts lasted only a few minutes each, but gave millions on Earth their first view of living in space.

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