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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Fantastic view of the Earth on the way to the Moon before the explosion, NASA [Apollo 13], 11 April 1970

printed 1970
vintage chromogenic print on resin-coated Kodak paper 10 h × 8 w in (25 × 20 cm)
estimate: $2,500–4,000
result: $2,000
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“In spaceflight, when we orbited the Earth, we thought in terms of continents. We were over the US; now we’re over a body of water. We’re over Africa now; we’re over Australia now. In the lunar flight, we thought in terms of bodies. The Moon’s here, the Sun’s there, the Earth is there.” —James Lovell (Chaikin, Voices, pg. 25)
Numbered to verso 'AS13-50-8588' with NASA MSFC credit stamp and 'A Kodak Paper' watermarks.

print

The original NASA caption states in error that the photograph was taken during Apollo 13’s trans Earth journey home.

In fact, it was taken (through the 80mm lens) during translunar coast just after transposition, docking and extraction of the LM; and jettison of the expended Saturn SIVB third stage at approximately T+04:32:00 after launch. At that point in the mission, Apollo 13 was still on a nominal flight to the Moon.

“In spaceflight, when we orbited the Earth, we thought in terms of continents. We were over the US; now we’re over a body of water. We’re over Africa now; we’re over Australia now. In the lunar flight, we thought in terms of bodies. The Moon’s here, the Sun’s there, the Earth is there.”

—James Lovell (Chaikin, Voices, pg. 25)

This photograph of Earth was taken from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Apollo 13 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey home. The most visible land mass includes southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The peninsula of Baja California is clearly seen. Most of the land area is under heavy cloud cover. The Apollo 13 crew consisted of astronauts James A. Lovell Jr., commander; John L. Swigert Jr., command module pilot; and Fred W. Haise Jr., lunar module pilot. [NASA caption]

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