[Apollo 17] HARRISON SCHMITT TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS AT TRACY'S ROCK, STATION 6 Eugene Cernan, 7-19 D...

[Apollo 17] HARRISON SCHMITT TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS AT TRACY'S ROCK, STATION 6 Eugene Cernan, 7-19 December 1972, EVA 3 Printed 1972. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS17-146-22294]. With 'A Kodak Paper' watermark on the reverse, numbered 'NASA AS17-146-22294' in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context Exploring the Moon with a camera. Harrison Schmitt, the first scientist-astronaut to explore the Moon, holds the Hasselblad camera equipped with a powerful 500mm telephoto lens while leaning against Tracy's Rock (also known as Split Rock or the Station 6 Boulder). Using this stable vantage point, he prepares to capture high-resolution images of distant lunar features. In the foreground, the Lunar Rover stands ready for the next traverse, its front section prominently visible. Behind Schmitt, the vast slope of the North Massif looms, emphasizing the dramatic scale of the Taurus-Littrow Valley—one of the most geologically intriguing Apollo landing sites. The massive split boulder beside him tumbled approximately 1.5 km down the North Massif's slope before coming to rest at Station 6. From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken: 165:43:48 Schmitt: How am I going to see up there to shoot this thing [distant features upslope on the North Massif]? 165:43:52 Cernan: Well, why don't you lean against the rock? Go over there and lean against it. Footnotes: Literature TIME, 8 January 1973, p. 40 A Man on the Moon: lunar explorers, Chaikin, p. 246 Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, Reynolds, p. 201 Spacecam: Photographing the Final Frontier from Apollo to Hubble, Hope, p. 34 For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing