260. [Apollo 11] BUZZ ALDRIN GAZING AT THE LM EAGLE AND U.S. FLAG AT TRANQUILITY BASE Neil Armstrong, 16-24 July 1969 Printed 1969. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA AS11-40-5948]. Numbered "NASA AS11-40-5948" in red in the top margin, with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context The significance of exploring the unknown. Neil Armstrong captured this iconic photograph from the scientific site, 20 meters south-southwest of the Lunar Module Eagle. Buzz Aldrin looks back at Tranquillity Base, perhaps reflecting on the profound reality of standing on another world. He is positioned next to the Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE), designed to detect moonquakes and meteorite impacts. Nearby, the Laser Ranging Retroreflector (LRRR), which allows precise measurements of the Earth-Moon distance, and the stereo close-up camera are visible. Further in the distance, the American flag stands planted on the lunar surface, with Eagle poised for liftoff as the astronauts prepare to return to lunar orbit. The TV camera, which broadcasted the historic moonwalk to millions on Earth, is also visible. "I don't believe any pair of people had been more removed physically from the rest of the world than we were." —Buzz Aldrin (LIFE magazine, August 22, 1969, p. 26) Literature National Geographic, December 1969, pp. 746-747 Time, 8 August 1969, pp. 23-24 Moon: Man's Greatest Adventure, Thomas, ed., pp. 202-203 Spacecam: Photographing the Final Frontier from Apollo to Hubble, Hope, p. 28