Apollo 11 Lunar Module
Hasselblad Cameras and Magazines
Commentary Copyright © 2012-6 by Eric
M. Jones.
All rights reserved.
Last revised 6 January 2016.
Introduction
When the LM crew separated from the Command Module in preparation
for the landing, they had two Hasselblad cameras:
(1) A camera for use in the LM cabin, called the IntraVehicular
Camera (IVA). The camera body was black and was not
intended for use outside during the EVA. The IVA camera
did not have a reseau plate, so images taken with it did not
have a five-by-five grid of reseau crosses. The IVA camera
had an 80mm (focal length) lens;
(2) A camera for use outside on the lunar surface, called the
ExtraVehicular Camera (EVA), which had a silver-colored finish
to prevent overheating. It also had a reseau plate, so
images taken with it did show a grid of crosses. The EVa
camera had a 60mm lens.
At the time of separation, the LM crews also had two, fresh
Hasselblad magazines loaded with color film: Magazine 37/R and Magazine 40/S. They also had a fresh
magazine loaded with black&white film: Magazine 39/Q.
At 81:55:43
during LM activation in lunar orbit (Rev 4), Buzz mentions in the
onboard recording that he put Magazine R on the "reserve" (IVA
camera) and Magazine S on the "surface" (EVA) camera. As he will
mention to Houston at 083:19:35,
"Eagle has checked out both 70-millimeter (Hasselblad) cameras and
both 16-millimeter (movie) cameras, and all work fine." The
following table lists frames taken on Mags 37 and 40 in lunar
orbit.
Magazine
|
Frames
|
Camera
|
Time
|
Notes
|
37 (Color)
|
5433
|
IVA
|
82:15:10,
15 minutes before Rev 4 Earthrise
|
Crater Schuster
4N/146E
|
|
5434-35
|
IVA
|
082:32:07
|
Rev 4 Earthrise
|
|
5436
|
IVA
|
a few minutes after Rev 4 Earth Rise
|
Crater Babcock
4N/94E
|
|
5437
|
IVA
|
82:56:25
|
Rev 4 approach to landing site
|
|
5438
|
IVA
|
Terminator beyond the landing site, possibly
at about 082:58:34
|
Rev 4
|
|
5439-5442
|
IVA
|
86:28:48
|
Rev 6 Earthrise
|
|
5443-48
|
|
100:12:03
|
CSM after undocking
|
|
|
|
|
|
40 (Color)
|
5844
|
EVA
|
prior to Rev 4 Earthrise
|
Craters Green and Hartmann, 4N/134E
|
|
5845
|
EVA
|
Probably soon after Rev 4 Earthrise
|
Earth
|
|
5846
|
EVA
|
Mare Fecunditatis on Rev 4
|
Craters Messier and Messier A, 2S/47E
|
Pre-EVA Window Photos
After Neil and Buzz landed, they were very busy for a while,
shutting down the descent stage, telling the computer that the LM
was on the surface, venting unused propellants, and preparing the
ascent stage for an immediate departure should that be
necessary. These procedures are on surface checklist page Sur-1. About 20 minutes after landing,
Houston was confident enough in the LM that Neil and Buz were able
to remove their helmets and gloves and start a fresh alignment of
the LM's Intertial Measurements Unit (IMU), as shown on pages Sur-2 to Sur-5. They probably started
the window photography at about
103:59:47, about 1 hour 15 minutes after the landing. This
step is at the bottom of Sur-5.
They took this set of photos for the geologists in case they had to
return to orbit early. The next pre-planned liftoff time -
called T3 - was about 40-45 minutes after they start the photography
and they still had to perform another IMU alignment as a check of
the first one. Taking these photographs was a contingency
measure and they didn't plan to spend much time on the task.
Magazine
|
Frames
|
Camera
|
Window
|
37/R (Color)
|
5449-53
|
IVA
|
CDR
|
|
5454-58
|
IVA
|
LMP
|
|
5459
|
IVA
|
CDR
|
After
the EVA, used on the IVA camera for photos out both
windows.
|
|
39/Q (B & W)
|
5737-49
|
IVA
|
CDR
|
|
5750-62
|
EVA
|
CDR
|
|
5763-89
|
EVA
|
LMP
|
|
5790-91
|
EVA
|
CDR
|
| After
the EVA, used on the IVA camera for photos out both
windows. |
|
40/S (Color)
|
5847-48
|
EVA
|
CDR
|
|
5849
|
IVA
|
LMP
|
Used
during the EVA on the EVA camera.
|
According to surface checklist page Sur-6,
they planned to take two sets of photos with B&W film on the IVA
camera (80mm lens). One set would cover the far field with a
focus setting of 50 feet. There would be photos aimed at the 9
o'clock position with Neil's RCS thrusters on the left, 10:30, and
12 o'clock straight ahead and, as well, photos out Buzz's window at
12 o'clock, 1:30; and 3:00 with Buzz's RCS thrusters on the
right. The fact that they planned to take 12:00 pictures out
each window is indicated by the notation "(2)". The second set
would cover the near field, with the focus set at 20 feet and using
a slightly different set of f-stops. All of this would then be
repeated with color film on the EVA camera (60mm lens).
When the time came to do the window photography, they took far more
photos than planned: 13 39/Q (B&W) photos using the IVA camera;
42 39/Q (B&W) photos using the EVA camera; 11 magazine 37/R
(color) photos using the IVA camera; 2 magazine 40/S (color) photos
using the EVA camera; and 1 magazine 40/S (color) photo using the
IVA camera. Interestingly, the first use of each magazine
during the pre-EVA window photography was out Neil's window.
When they landed, color mag 40/S was on the EVA camera and color mag
37/R was on the IVA camera. Because they had taken far more photos
on 37/R than on 40/S, they probably intended to save 40/S for use on
the surface. To follow the photo plan, they would have
inserted a dark slide in 40/S before taking it off the EVA camera
and putting the magazine aside until they completed the pre-EVA
window photography. Next, they would have inserted a dark
slide in 37R before taking it off the IVA camera and installing it
on the EVA camera and removing the dark slide. Finally, they would
have installed fresh magazine 39/Q on the IVA camera.
The following is a hypothesis about the order in which they used the
cameras and magazines. It has the advantage of minimizing the
number of times they had to remove and re-install magazines and
explains when Buzz might have taken 5849 which is, in some ways, the
most difficult of the images to fit into a plausible sequence.
There are undoubtedly other scenarios that would makes sense, but it
is impossible at this very late date to know in exactly what order
the photos were taken.
Because Mag 37/R (color) was already on the IVA camera, they may
have begun with the combination of camera and magazine: Neil taking
5449-5453, Buzz taking 5454-58. Photo 5459 shows a section of
the surface between those in 5452 and 5453, a piece of the surface
he didn't get in that pair. He probably realized that he'd missed it
and asked Buzz for the camera so he could get the shot before they
started the B&W photography with Mag 39/Q (B&W).
Next they may have taken Mag 37/R (color) off the IVA camera and
replaced it with Mag 39/Q (B&W). Neil then took
5737-5749. At this point they make have realized that they
were supposed to take some photos with the EVA camera. Mag
40/S (color) was already on the EVA camera. Perhaps Neil decided to
take a couple of color images (5847-48) out his window with Mag 40
on the EVA camera while Buzz removed Mag 39/Q (B&W from the IVA
camera - a process that included insertion of a dark slide while the
magazine was still on the camera. Once Buzz had Mag 39/Q
(B&W) off the IVA camera, they removed Mag 40/S (color) from the
EVA camera and installed Mag 39/Q (B&Q). While Neil took
5750-62 with the EVA camera and Mag 39/Q (B&W), Buzz may have
decided to put Mag 40/S (color) on the IVA camera to take a single
frame (5849) showing the LM shadow below his window. I really
don't know why. After Neil took his sequence of, he gave the
EVA camera to Buzz, who took 5763-5789. And, to finish the
pre-EVA window photography, Neil took 5790-91 with Mag 39Q still on
the EVA camera.
Although the compilers of the Apollo 11
Photo Index state that "Magazine 'S' is a color magazine
taken with a 60mm lens (meaning the EVA camera) aboard the LM.
With the exception of the first three exposures the entire magazine
was taken upon the lunar surface at Tranquility Base." I had
certainly never noticed that AS11-40-5849 does not have reseau
crosses and therefore, that the image was necessarily taken with the
magazine mounted on the IVA camera. A question from Journal
Contributor AwE130 about 5849 found led me to look at the image with
fresh eyes and to realize that there are no reseau crosses. A
copy of 5849 has been
labelled with boxes drawn around the locations were the crosses
would be if the image had been taken with the EVA camera. The
boxes were drawn by overlaying 5849 on a copy of AS11-39-5760, a shot Neil took out
his window with Mag 39/Q (B&W) on the EVA camera. Click here for a copy of the 51-Mb,
full-resolution tiff file generated during scanning of 5849 from the
original film.