Apollo 12: Self-Portrait
Explanation:
Is it art?
In November of 1969,
Apollo 12 astronaut-photographer
Charles "Pete" Conrad recorded
this masterpiece while documenting colleague Alan Bean's
lunar soil collection activities on
the Oceanus Procellarum.
The image is
dramatic and stark.
Bean is faceless - the harsh environment of the Moon's Ocean of Storms is
echoed in his helmet's perfectly composed reflection of Conrad and
the lunar horizon.
Works of photojournalists orginally
intent on recording the human condition on planet Earth,
such as
Lewis W.
Hine and
Margaret
Bourke-White are widely regarded as photographic art.
Similarly many documentary
astronomy and space images can be appreciated for their artistic and
esthetic appeal.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
