Richard Gordon (American, b. 1929)

Description:

Richard Gordon (American, b. 1929)
Streaked window, Command Module Yankee Clipper, Apollo 12, November 1969. Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the verso, image size 7 7/8 x 7 1/8 in. (19.8 x 18.0 cm),unmatted.
Condition: Minor creases at corners of sheet.

N.B. 'The condensation inside the glass window of the hatch was due to a design flaw which was corrected on later flights' (Light, caption 113). 'Spaceflights were often reconnaissance missions and dirty portholes could make that job impossible,' noted author Jeffrey Kluger. 'Gas trapped between layers of glass or moisture picked up on the way out of the atmosphere could make windows impossible to use, though the fogging or streaking would often clear up as the sun warmed the spacecraft skin. The public saw only the pretty pictures shot through clear windows, but here the Apollo 12 crew took a shot to show NASA the challenges they faced' (http://time.com/unseen-apollo/). The NASA negative number is AS12-50-7369.

Literature: Schick and Van Haaften, p. 83; Light, plate 113.
Estimate $400-600


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