[Apollo 11] LONELY EARTHRISE: seen from CSM Columbia during LM Eagle's lunar landing Michael Col...

[Apollo 11] LONELY EARTHRISE: seen from CSM Columbia during LM Eagle's lunar landing Michael Collins, 16-24 July 1969 Printed 1969. Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image AS11-41-6028]. Numbered 'NASA AS11-41-6028' (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context A lone witness to Earthrise—Michael Collins' view of home from lunar orbit. As Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong completed humanity's first landing on another world, Michael Collins orbited alone in Command Module Columbia, separated from both his crewmates on the Moon and all of humanity back on Earth. From this unique vantage point, he captured this extremely rare Earthrise, a moment of stunning isolation and beauty. This extraordinary black-and-white photograph, taken as part of a forward-looking sequence with the Hasselblad 500 EL equipped with an 80mm lens and B&W magazine P/41, remained unpublished after the mission. The sight of Earthrise was one of the most awe-inspiring moments of Apollo 11, eagerly anticipated by the astronauts. According to Richard Underwood, NASA's chief of photography, Apollo 11 brought back 'the best Earthrises and sets, by far.' Footnotes: The view looks west over the western edge of Smyth's Sea, with the 45-km-wide Crater Schubert visible in the distance. Columbia was completing its 15th orbit at an altitude of approximately 110 km, just after Eagle had safely landed. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing