The First Selfie in Space and More Stellar Vintage NASA Photos

Over 600 rare space photos go up for auction in London.

Astronauts have been held up as pioneers in the American consciousness since Alan Shepard became the first US astronaut to venture into space. Such people came to represent the limitless potential of humanity. As if that weren't enough, they were pretty exceptional photographers too.

On Thursday, Bloomsbury Auctions in London presents "From the Earth to the Moon: Vintage NASA Photographs," a collection of 692 images made over the course of four decades by the likes of John Glenn (the first man to bring a camera into orbit), Buzz Aldrin, and Bill Traub, NASA's first senior photographer.

Equal parts scientific documentation and personal exploration, the images of astronauts floating freely in the void are far more personal than the newsreel footage and newspaper photographs of the time. They are almost intimate, snapshots taken by men having the time of their lives. Films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apollo 13, and Gravity have shown that space is a cold, unforgiving place. But looking at Buzz Aldrin's selfie, with our planet over his shoulder and the vastness of space above him, we also see it as a place of great wonder and promise.

While NASA has released many thousands of images for its many missions, we've seen but a fraction of the images held in its extensive archives and amongst private collectors. Bloomsbury says this collection was offered for sale after the successful sale in November, 2011, of space-themed photographs. Although at first unsure who the audience for such photos might be, it was pleasantly surprised to find lots of interested bidders.

Among the most notable (and valuable) images up for auction are Aldrin’s self portrait, large format prints specially produced by NASA for presentation purposes, and sets of single frame photos that, when pieced together, create panoramic landscapes that are "graphically striking and extremely rare." Some of the photos---like *Ranger VII Photographs of the Moon, July 1961 *and* Earthrise, Apollo 8, December 1968*--- are expected to fetch over $10,000.

The photographs, obviously valued for their historic significance, also represent a unique moment in the history of photography. Adjusting for zero gravity, dealing with dust, and the limited functionality of bulky space suits led Hasselblad to develop a custom medium format camera, and Kodak to create ultra thin, static-resistant film specifically for NASA. These innovative devices allowed NASA to make technically unique and visually astounding photographs. Space was no longer the stuff of science fiction, but tangible. Hazy but vibrant lunar landscapes and abstract closeups of legendary satellites and rockets appear familiar and nostalgic, but undeniably otherworldly. In the era of instant vintage filters and selfie sticks, these photos present us with the ultimate photographic time warp---space in analog.