[Apollo 17] HARRISON SCHMITT SEATED IN THE REPAIRED LUNAR ROVER AT NANSEN CRATER, STATION 2 (NAS...

[Apollo 17] HARRISON SCHMITT SEATED IN THE REPAIRED LUNAR ROVER AT NANSEN CRATER, STATION 2 (NASA's own copy, used and annotated, for the preparation of its final Apollo science report) Eugene Cernan, December 7-19, 1972, EVA 2 Printed 1972. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS17-137-20979]. Original editorial labels in the white margins on the recto for publication in NASA's Apollo 17 Preliminary Science Report (NASA SP-330), with 'A Kodak Paper' watermark and traces of previous mounting on the reverse, numbered 'NASA AS17-137-20979' in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas), together with an original NASA sheet indicating directives and notes (figure 4-21) for publication in the report. 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context A field repair on the Lunar Rover, enabling the last great exploration of another world. This photograph is NASA's own archival copy used and annotated for the production of the Apollo 17 Preliminary Science Report (NASA SP-330) on humanity's final voyage to the Moon. This photograph, taken by Eugene Cernan just before departing Station 2 at Nansen Crater, captures a close-up view of the Lunar Rover and its modifications. Harrison Schmitt is already seated in the Rover, while the dust-coated Traverse Gravimeter, originally blue, is mounted on the back just above the replacement right rear fender. Cernan took this image to document the condition of the Rover after a 9.1-kilometre drive from the Lunar Module Challenger and to record his handiwork repairing the damaged fender. The right rear fender had been accidentally knocked off during EVA-1, allowing dust to be kicked up as the Rover moved—creating visibility issues and coating the astronauts' suits. At the start of EVA-2, following a suggestion from John Young at Mission Control, the crew ingeniously repaired the fender using lunar maps and clamps from the Optical Alignment Telescope lamp, restoring its functionality for the rest of the mission. Footnotes: [Apollo 17 Preliminary Science Report caption] FIGURE 4-21. -The partial loss of the right rear fender during EVA-1 threatened to limit the use of the LRV. Without complete fenders, the wire mesh wheels threw a plume of lunar dust across the crew and the LRV. At the beginning of EVA-2, the crew replaced the missing section using maps, tape, and two clamps from the LM. The repairs proved to be satisfactory, and no further problems were experienced. The LMP sits in the LRV (AS17-137-20979). Literature NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC December 1973 pp. 294-295 Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, Reynolds, p. 201 Apollo 17 Preliminary Science Report (NASA SP-330), p. 4-21 For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing