[APOLLO 14] ALAN SHEPARD RETURNS TO THE LM ANTARES Edgar Mitchell, 31 January - 9 February 1971,...

[APOLLO 14] ALAN SHEPARD RETURNS TO THE LM ANTARES Edgar Mitchell, 31 January - 9 February 1971, EVA 2 Printed 1971. Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image AS14-68-9487]. Numbered 'NASA AS14-68-9487' in black in the top margin, blank on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in.) Historical context Back to Fra Mauro Base after the longest trek performed on the Moon. A splendid frame from the panoramic sequence taken by Edgar Mitchell near Turtle Rock at Station H, capturing the end of the second and final moonwalk of Apollo 14. The tracks of the Modular Equipment Transporter (MET), made when the astronauts ascended toward Cone Crater, are visible beyond Shepard, while Mitchell's own tracks from Station G1 to Station H appear in the foreground. Old Nameless Crater rises in the background. At Houston's request, Shepard is seen adjusting the TV camera to focus on the MESA (Modular Equipment Stowage Assembly) for Mission Control to observe the final closeout procedures before departure. Footnotes: From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken: 135:01:03 Shepard: Go ahead, Houston. 135:01:04 Haise: Okay, a little change in the priorities when you get back to the LM. We'd like the TV turned to look at the MESA area, so we can watch the closeout (as the) number one (priority). And then you can shoot a quick picture of the solar wind. 135:01:26 Shepard: Roger, I'm going for the (TV) camera, now. [...] 135:03:11 Mitchell: Okay, Fredo, I'm heading back from the boulder field. I've sampled two of the larger boulders in the area. Rocks broken from them and lying on them; and I've taken a pan; and I have maybe a third of a weigh bag full of small rocks from these boulders. Literature National Geographic, July 1871, pp. 139-142 Spacecam, photographing the final frontier from Apollo to Hubble, Hope, p. 17 For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing