The Beauty of Space: Vintage NASA Photos
Description:
Taken by a Camera Aboard the Satellite ATS 3
The first color photograph of the full planet Earth, Satellite ATS 3, November 10, 1967. Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper with 'A Kodak Paper' watermark on the verso, image size 7 3/4 x 8 5/8 in. (19.5 x 21.8 cm),unmatted.
Condition: Subtle crack or similar u.c., minor wear at u.l. and l.l. corners of sheet.
N.B. After the roaring success of the satellite ATS 1 which transmitted the first black and white detailed photographs of the whole Earth with its "spin-scan cloud camera," Dr. Verner Suomi developed a color camera for ATS 3, launched in November 1967 and sent into an equatorial geostationary orbit (22,236 miles above the Earth) which was to take one of the most iconic photographs in the history of space exploration. This unprecedented photograph showed North and South America, part of Africa and Europe, as well as the southern part of the Greenland ice cap, and Antarctica covered with clouds. The original NASA caption for the photograph was uncharacteristically poetic: 'The photo shows the entire disk of the Earth, a cloud-covered globe in the blackness of space.' The photograph was to become a symbol of the counterculture movement as the cover illustration of the 1968 Whole Earth Catalog. Twenty-four Apollo astronauts from 1968 to 1972 were the only men to witness their planet as a sphere in space.
Estimate $1,000-1,500
The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email (lot inquiry button) or by telephone to the appropriate gallery location (Boston/617.350.5400 or Marlborough/508.970.3000). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Keywords
Kodak, GreenlandRobin S.R. Starr
Vice President
Director of American & European Works of Art
508-970-3206
Elizabeth Haff
Specialist, American & European Works of Art
Old Masters & 19th Century
508-970-3206
James Leighton
Specialist, American & European Works of Art
Fine Photographs
508-970-3206