subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 20 July 2019 41
On July 20, 1969, a collective dream became reality, with a footprint symbolizing this achievement: on that day, man set foot on the Moon for the first
time. The limits of what seemed possible were now redefined. When the ambition was set to send a man to the Moon and return safe back to Earth,
many people helped to make this dream of mankind come true. Thousands of engineers and technicians throughout all disciplines and countries got
involved. ZEISS became part of this challenge: camera lenses specially designed for space captured the iconic images of this monumental achievement.
and that Glenn was forced to take
manual control during not just the
second and third orbits, but also
during re-entry when the craft’s
heat shield became loose, he
probably had things other than
photography on his mind for
much of the fl ight.
That was in February 1962. In
May of the same year, when Scott
Carpenter became the second
American astronaut to take a
spacecraft into orbit, he took
a Robot Recorder 36 with him.
Robot cameras had built-in
clockwork motor drives, and the
only signifi cant modifi cation to
the store-bought model was the
addition of a handle and trigger to
make the camera easier to use in
gloved hands.
A major milestone in space-
fl ight photography came in
October 1962 when astronaut
Walter Schirra completed six orbits
of the Earth. He had seen earlier
attempts at photography from
spacecraft and, being a keen
amateur photographer, thought he
could do better if he could use the
right stuff in terms of photo gear.
So he suggested that he would like
to use a Hasselblad. ‘Okay, then
you had better go and buy one,’
said NASA, or words to that
effect. So Schirra dropped into a
photographic store in Houston and
bought a Hasselblad 500C off the
shelf, which he delivered to NASA
technicians for a few modifi cations.
Out went the refl ex mirror and
focusing screen, replaced by a
metal plate across the top of
the body. The vinyl covering
was removed and all surfaces
were painted black. The usualHasselblad fi lm back that provided
12 images 6x6cm on 120 roll fi lm
was modifi ed to take 18ft of
extra-thin 70mm-wide fi lm
which, with a modifi ed fi lm
gate, shot 70 pictures to a
roll. The lens was an 80mm
f/2.8 Zeiss Planar, slightly
modifi ed for ease of use,
but optically untouched.
In November 2014, a
modifi ed Hasselblad 500C,
with due provenance and
photographic confi rmation
that supported its claim to
be the camera that Schirra
took into space, was consigned
for auction in Massachusetts.
Crudely written on the top of
the fi lm back were exposure
instructions: f/16, 1/250, day; f/11
1/250 sunrise/set. The camera
sold for $275,000.
In 1961, NASA moved from the
Mercury to the Gemini Project,
a programme used to test
equipment and skills needed
to put a man on the moon. It
included space walks, orbit
changes and the separation and
docking of two spacecraft. For
a few missions a Maurer 70- rather like an oversized 35mm
camera for 70mm fi lm – was
taken into space. Then, on the
fi rst-ever space walk in 1965,
astronaut Ed White aboard
Gemini 4 used a Zeiss Ikon
Contarex 35mm single lens refl ex
with a 50mm Zeiss Planar lens.
It was attached to a handheld
manoeuvring unit containing two
compressed oxygen bottles that
were fi red by the astronaut to help
him move around in space.Hasselblad Lunar Surface
Camera
With Gemini 9 in 1966, another
Hasselblad made its appearance.
It was known as the Lunar Surface
Camera, which has led some to
believe that it was planned for use
on the moon’s surface. In fact, it
was used to take pictures of
the surface, but only fromThe Autoset
used by
astronaut
John Glenn
(Transferred
from NASA to
the Smithsonian
Institution,
National Air
and Space
Museum)Two views of the first Hasselblad in
space. At a 2014 auction a camera
sold with provenance to show it was
used by astronaut Walter SchirraMaurer 70, a type
of camera used on
Mercury missionsIN ASSOCIATION WITH
© SANJAY ACHARYA VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
© NASA