Eugene Cernan (American, 1934-2017)

Description:

Eugene Cernan (American, 1934-2017)
Harrison Schmitt skimming lunar soil on the rim of Camelot Crater, Station 5, EVA 2, Apollo 17, December 1972. Numbered 'NASA AS17-145-22156' (NASA MSC) in red on the recto u.l. margin. 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: Hole punches in upper margin of sheet.

N.B. Schmitt's spacesuit is covered with lunar dust while he's skimming soil with the scoop. 'This moondust dirtied the space suits and darkened them. Nowhere on Earth does one face raw, undiminished solar power, but on the Moon there is nowhere to hide except in a spacesuit. An astronaut's backpack cooled him by circulating water; an astronaut could stay cool only as long as his water lasted, and in a dark spacesuit he would bake like an outdoor grilled briquette, burning up his water. Cernan and Schmitt had to spend time brushing each other off so as not to end up roasting' (Reynolds, p. 205). 'It doesn't make any difference whether you're in a suit or whether you're in shirtsleeves,' said Schmitt. 'You're still going through the same mental process. It's the mind that you're taking, not the hands... Your mind is not in a spacesuit' (Chaikin, Voices, p. 85).
Estimate $300-500


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