An astronaut in a white spacesuit floats in zero gravity against a backdrop of Earth and clouds. A US flag patch is visible on their shoulder, and their gold-tinted visor reflects the surrounding light.

Incredible collection of old NASA photographs to go on show in London

Words: Maisie Skidmore
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Date: 16 September 2014; Work
Photography

Imagine for a moment that the shoebox under your bed was filled not with photos of your Great Aunt June snoozing on the sofa last Christmas, but with photographs taken in space by astronauts on Apollo 14. For a lucky few at NASA this is (almost) true, and fortunately they’re more than happy to share their treasures with us proles in the form of a new exhibition at London’s BREESE Little Gallery.

The exhibition addresses the subject of the sublime in NASA photography. “The sublime is perceived in the presence of power, awe and scale,” BREESE Little explains, “and felt in the sensation of helplessness at the realisation of our own insignificance. And yet it entails a sense of empowerment as we measure, map, quantify and record, seeking to understand the mysteries of the solar system and the universe through science, logic and technology.”

Encountering the Astronomical Sublime: Vintage NASA Photographs 1961-1980 will run at London’s BREESE Little gallery from 19 September until 25 October. Find out more on our events listing site, This at There.

A view of Earth from space, showing a curved horizon and white clouds over a deep blue ocean. Part of a spacecraft is visible on the right, with a long antenna extending over the planet. — Above
Central Florida, Cape Kennedy at centre left, Gemini 11, 14 September 1966, Vintage chromogenic print, c.20 × 25 cm, NASA S65-54565

An astronaut in a white spacesuit uses a tool to collect samples from the lunar surface. The desolate, cratered landscape stretches towards a pitch-black sky. — Above
Charles Duke, John Young collects lunar samples, Apollo 16, April 1972, Vintage gelatin silver print, c.20 × 25 cm, NASA AS16-106-17340

An astronaut in a white spacesuit floats in the void of space, tethered to a spacecraft. Behind them, the curved horizon of Earth shows swirling white clouds and brown landmasses. — Above
James McDivitt, Ed White Walking in space (EVA), Gemini 4, June 1965, Large-format vintage chromogenic print, on ‘A Kodak Paper’, 27.8 × 35.6 cm, NASA negative number S65-29766

An astronaut in a white spacesuit floats in the void of space. The curved horizon of Earth and a layer of white clouds are visible behind them. — Above
James McDivitt, Ed White walking in space over New Mexico (EVA), Gemini 4, June 1965, Large format vintage chromogenic print, on ‘A Kodak Paper’, 27.8 × 35.6 cm, NASA negative number S65-30433

A black and white photograph of a rocky, desolate lunar landscape. Jagged boulders sit in the foreground beneath a smooth, sloping hill under a dark sky. — Above
Lunar boulders, St. George Crater beyond, Apollo 15, July 1971, Vintage gelatin silver print, c.20 × 25cm, NASA AS15-82-11147

A close-up of the planet Mars, showing its curved horizon against a dark background. The surface is a mix of dusty red, orange and pale yellow tones. — Above
Martian hemisphere, Viking 1 Orbiter, June 1976, Vintage chromogenic print, c.20 × 25 cm, NASA S-76-27349

An abstract image of swirling, concentric bands of colour in shades of orange, purple and cream. The organic shapes curve across a deep burgundy background. — Above
Segment of Saturn’s rings, Voyager 2, 1981, Vintage chromogenic print, c.20 × 25 cm, NASA_JPL [P-23953]

A small space capsule floats in orbit above the curved horizon of Earth. Below, a vast expanse of blue ocean is partially covered by swirling white clouds. — Above
The Agena target vehicle tethered to Gemini 11, Gemini 11, 14 September 1966, Large format vintage chromogenic print, on ‘A Kodak Paper’, 28.2 × 35.2 cm, NASA negative number S66-54571, Title and technical details in ink on verso

A view of Earth from space, showing the curve of the planet against a dark red background. Swirling white clouds partially cover the landmasses and deep blue oceans. In the top left corner, small red text reads “NASA AS16-118-18880”. — Above
United States, Mexico, Central America, Apollo 16, April 1972, Vintage chromogenic print, c.20 × 25 cm, NASA AS16-118-18880

Further Info

www.breeselittle.com

About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

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Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

Incredible collection of old NASA photographs to go on show in London

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