Walter Cunningham (American, b. 1932)

Description:

Walter Cunningham (American, b. 1932)
The expended Saturn IVB stage, separation and transposition maneuvers in space, Apollo 7, October 1968. Numbered 'NASA AS7-3-1528' in red on the recto u.l. margin, NASA MSC caption on the verso. Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper with 'A Kodak Paper' watermark on the verso, image size 7 1/8 x 7 1/8 in. (18.0 x 18.0 cm),unmatted.
Condition: Good.

N.B. The photograph was taken during the second revolution of the mission at an altitude of 125 nautical miles over Baja California. A major objective of the mission was to rendezvous, without benefit of radar, with the second stage of their Saturn booster. In the last mile, closing maneuvers were made by eyeballing the target. Here, the spacecraft launch adapter on the rocket's second stage opens like a giant flower during Apollo 7's simulated docking. 'We just slid right up the pipe and onto the target,' said Donn Eisele. 'It was a great feeling' (Mason, pp. 142-44).

Literature: Schick and Van Haaften, p. 87 (variant); Jacobs, p. 23.
Estimate $400-600


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