135. [Lunar Orbiter IV] FIRST VIEW OF THE WHOLE MOON FROM A PERSPECTIVE OTHER THAN EARTH (Large Format) NASA, May 1967 Printed 1967. Large-format vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image LRC IV-193M]. Numbered "NASA LRC IV-193M" in black in the lower margin (issued by NASA Langley Research Centre, Hampton, Virginia). 51 x 61 cm. (20 x 24 in.) Historical context A young George Lucas may have glimpsed this stunning 1967 whole-Moon image, sparking inspiration for the Death Star of his imagination. Lunar Orbiter was the first robotic spacecraft to capture detailed images of the entire Moon from lunar orbit, revealing breathtaking, never-before-seen views of Earth's satellite from a new perspective. While Soviet spacecraft had previously returned whole-Moon images, they were mostly crude by comparison. Lunar Orbiter IV was the first of the five missions to fly in a polar orbit rather than a near-equatorial one. Following the success of the first three missions in mapping the near-side equatorial region at high resolution, NASA tasked this orbiter with mapping the entire Moon at moderate resolution. This photograph, taken with the wide-angle 80mm lens from an altitude of 3,519 km, is centreed at latitude 63.89° S and longitude 85.97° W—near the Moon's rugged southwestern limb, a region marked by dramatic impact features.