26 20 July 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Create yourowniconic images.
ZEISSMoonLandingPromotion Source:
NASAPiers Bizony is a science
journalist and author who
specialises in writing
about outer space, space
history, special effects
and technology. He has
written over 15 books
and for publications such
as The Independent, BBC
Focus and Wiredoftentheonlyphotographer
withaccesstotrainingsessions
andclosedengineeringmeetings
duringtheMercury,Geminiand
Apollomissions.Usuallyoneofthe
lastpeopletoseetheastronauts
beforelift-off, Taubwasdubbed
‘TwoMoreTaub’owingtohis
insistenceonshootingjusta couple
moreframesbeforethecrews
disappearedintotheirspacecrafts.
TaubworkedforNASAfrom
1958 until 1975 whileBillIngalls
hasbeenNASAHQ’ssenior
contractphotographersince1989.
The14-yeargapbetweenTaub
andIngallsholdingthesenior
photographypostatNASAwas
simplyduetothepositionnever
beingfilled.
Followinganinternshipwith
NASAa persistentIngallshounded
theagencyfora job.Hephoned
everyweektoseeif a positionwas
availableandsays,‘I thinkthey
justgotsickofmecallingand
said,“God.Gethima desk.Throw
himina corner.”’Ingallswasgiven
thechoiceofbeinga photo
researcherora photographer– he
chosethelatter.
Ingallswasgivenaccessto
NASA’scameracabinet,which
still contained much of Taub’s
equipment. Ingalls once explained,
‘I’m a little bit of a hoarder when
it comes to the gear. I still have
everything that was in that cabinet
because they have these stories that
go with them.’ For example, the
cabinet contained two Nikonos
underwater cameras which,
Taub told Ingalls, ‘were used
by frogmen during Apollo
splashdown recoveries’.
Both Taub and Ingalls had to deal
with highly distressing assignments.
It was Taub’s duty to record the
aftermath of the tragic deaths of
astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger
Chaff ee and Ed White who
perished, via asphyxiation, in a
fi re within the Apollo 1 capsule
on 27 January 1967.
Similarly, in 2003, Ingalls had to
photograph the aftermath of the
deaths of seven astronauts when
the space shuttle Columbia broke
apart during its descent to Earth.
This included photographing the
then-NASA deputy administrator
Fred Gregory making phone
calls following the tragedy. When
Ingalls said he felt uncomfortable
at recording such moments,
Gregory replied, ‘The numberone thing is that people should
never forget this day. It needs to be
seen. It needs to be remembered –
every bit of it.’Impact of NASA’s images
The rapid development of NASA’s
operations in the 1960s dovetailed
with an increasing awareness of
the impact of space imagery upon
both the public and the budgetary
decision makers in Washington DC.
So how was the impact of such
imagery leveraged?
Bizony says, ‘Somebody once said,
“No bucks, no Buck Rogers” (it’s
actually a line from the movie The
Right Stuff ). The scale and scope
of NASA’s public relations eff ort in
the 1960s was absolutely vast. Just
imagine... they sent out tens of
thousands of photographic prints
and transparencies absolutely free
of charge to answer almost any
sensible media request. NASA
knew that tax-funded space
programs had to give a lot back
in order to justify themselves to
the public.’
He continues, ‘Apollo 8’s shots of
the Earth rising above the lunar
horizon have been etched into the
collective human consciousness.Above: Apollo 11
Command Module
Pilot Michael Collins
inspects NASA’s
Lunar Receiving
Laboratory, where
rock samples
collected by Apollo
were analysed.
Nitrogen gas
protected the rocks
from accidental
corrosion in Earth’s
oxygen-rich
atmosphereNASA scientists are
confident that Buzz Aldrin’s
boot prints are still as
sharp and distinct today as
when they were first
stamped down in 1969
because the moon has no
air or rain to erode themIN ASSOCIATION WITH