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 human in deep space: live B&W TV picture of William Anders checking the 16mm camera telephoto lens during the first journey to another world, NASA [Apollo 8], 21-27 December 1968

printed 1968
vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper 8 h × 10 w in (20 × 25 cm)
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $188
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The hand held black and white television camera inside the Apollo 8 Command Module transmitted the first images showing humans in deep space.
Numbered to verso '68-H-1403' with NASA HQ caption.

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William Anders has the 250mm telephoto lens of the Hasselblad camera in hand, which he later used to take close ups of the lunar surface and the Earth, including the famous Earthrise photograph.

“Zero G is a blessing and a curse. I mean, for keeping track of your film, it’s a curse, because the goddamn stuff, you put it down, which is stupid to do. I always used to put it on the edge of the simulator, and it just stayed there, you know? And without thinking, I didn’t stick it to the Velcro. Put it down here, where is it? I’d always to go hunting for it, and that always puts you a few minutes behind."

—William Anders, describing one of the challenges of taking pictures from the spacecraft (Chaikin, Voices, pg. 30)

The Apollo 8 crew Borman, Lovell and Anders were 120,653 nautical miles from Earth traveling at a speed of 3,207 mph at the time the TV picture was transmitted from space. [NASA caption]

From the mission during the TV transmission to Earth:

031:21:54 Mattingly (Mission Control):

Hey, Frank, how about a couple of words on your health for the wide world.

031:22:03 Borman:

Well, we are all in very good shape. Jim is busy working preparing lunch. Bill is playing cameraman right now, and I am about to take a light reading on the Earth. We all feel fine. It was a very exciting ride on that big Saturn, but it worked perfectly, and we’re looking forward now, of course, for the day after tomorrow when we will be just 60 miles away from the Moon.

031:22:33 Mattingly:

Roger. You all look great on candid TV.

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