[Apollo 15] ALFRED WORDEN PERFORMING THE HISTORIC FIRST DEEP SPACE EVA ON THE JOURNEY BACK TO EA...

[Apollo 15] ALFRED WORDEN PERFORMING THE HISTORIC FIRST DEEP SPACE EVA ON THE JOURNEY BACK TO EARTH James Irwin, 26 July - 7 August 1971 Printed 1971. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-71-43202]. With 'A Kodak Paper' watermark on the reverse, numbered 'NASA S-71-43202' in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context The first human in deep space: Alfred Worden's historic EVA. Approximately 18 hours after trans-Earth injection, Alfred Worden became the first human to perform a deep-space EVA, stepping outside the Command Module Endeavour to retrieve film cassettes from the SIM bay. Captured from a frame of motion picture film taken by the 16mm Maurer camera mounted on the hatch, this image shows Worden floating 316,000 km from Earth—farther than any human had ventured outside a spacecraft. His 22-minute spacewalk, described as the first 'interplanetary' EVA, set a precedent in an era where space 'firsts' carried immense prestige. Beyond the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 EVAs for SIM bay retrieval, every other extravehicular activity from a spacecraft in freefall has occurred in low Earth orbit, never more than about 600 km from home. Re-entering the cramped confines of Endeavour after experiencing the vastness of space, Worden wryly remarked: 'I wish I were back outside. It's hell in here.' —Alfred Worden (mission transcript, T+242:27:11 after launch) For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing