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 originally
intent on recording the human condition on planet Earth,
such as
Lewis W. Hine's images from New York City
in the early 20th century, or
Margaret
Bourke-White's magazine photography are widely
regarded as 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.
